TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — There’s another milestone Tuesday in the long story of the Project Blue Data Center. Pima County Supervisors are scheduled to decide if they will accept formal clean energy commitments from the center developers but opponents think they see a serious loophole.
Preserving the thin resources of the desert is one of the issues in the debate over the Project Blue data center. Now the center developers are offering to sweeten the deal and Pima County supervisors are considering ways to make sure they keep their promises.
Data Center opponents say even the revised design that uses air instead of water to cool the center electronics will use far too much electricity. They are urging Pima County to not close the deal for the land the project will need.
It’s about 290 acres near I-10 and Houghton. The county says the land contract does not allow the county to back out of the deal. Opponents say the county can back out because the contract conditions were not met when the City of Tucson refused to annex the land or provide cooling water.
Now the companies behind the center—Humphrey’s Peak and Beale Infrastructure– are offering Pima County a signed commitment that:
-Promises the companies will use 100 percent renewable energy
-Use an independent review of whether it met that promise
-Make $15 million dollars in donations to include money for science education and trade schools
But the agreement language says Beale is committed to "commercially reasonable efforts” to match 100 percent of its energy use to renewable energy.
K.P. with the No Desert Data Center Coalition says the words “commercially reasonable” create a loophole that could let Project Blue break its clean energy promise.
“This idea that something could be commercially viable or not is really up to the eye of the beholder, and their interest is going to be to make as much profit as possible, which is not going to be to invest in renewable energy.”
Supervisor Matt Heinz voted to approve the land sale for Project Blue. He says the law does not let Pima County set rules on renewable energy. That falls to the Arizona Corporation Commission. He says he’s pleased there will be an independent review of whether Beale Infrastructure is living up to its promises.
“If it turns out they aren't doing it and they would have to come up with some sort of reason for that and how to kind of get back into compliance with this agreement, and if they don't, then I suppose a court or a judge could decide what is considered commercially reasonable.”
We asked Beale Infrastructure about its renewable energy commitment and whether the “commercially reasonable” standard would allow the company to reduce its renewable energy commitment. The company said:
"Beale remains committed to a 100% renewable energy goal, and will pursue this in earnest. It is our hope the county will approve the renewable energy options, which would allow us to uphold our commitment as a company, and to the obligations within the agreement.”
