Saint Holdings, LLC (Saint) announced today it has launched a new, first-in-class 640-acre shovel-ready data center site with solar capabilities adjacent to its Inland Port Arizona (IPAZ), one of the company’s two mega-sites in Pinal County, Arizona. The data center site announcement comes on the heels of Saint’s several successful land deals with the likes of Nikola Motor Corp. (Nikola), Lucid Motors and NextEra Energy.
Through the Nikola and Lucid Motors land deals, Saint is helping to build Arizona’s future in the creation of new-technology vehicles through the two company’s combined over $2 billion manufacturing plants that break ground this year; bringing approximately 4,000 jobs to the area by 2024. In fact, Area Development’s 2019 Gold Shovel Award named Arizona a winner as a result of Saint Holding’s land deal with Nikola.
Furthermore, Saint Holdings just announced its land deal with NextEra Energy, the world’s largest producer of wind and solar energy, which will be breaking ground next year on a 1,000-acre, new 100-megawatt solar energy development in Coolidge, just north of the Nikola plant in IPAZ, which is slated to be the biggest renewable energy deal for the Pinal region.
“We are at the epicenter of tomorrow’s cutting-edge technology,” said Jackob Andersen, president and CEO of Saint Holdings. “Pinal County is no longer the hidden gem between Phoenix and Tucson. The region has catapulted Arizona into the destination for new-technology vehicles, renewable energy and tech industries at large.”
Major players in these tech-forward industries are taking note of the vast growth opportunities and abundant infrastructure – as well as the political will to attract new business.
“We have had a great vision for the Pinal County region for decades that has now come to light,” stated City of Coolidge Mayor Jon Thompson. “Working collaboratively with all parties involved to bring these deals to fruition is what ultimately set us up for success – and through it all, Jackob (Andersen of Saint Holdings) has been at the center of it to make it happen. There is a lot in store for Arizona as the region transforms into the hub for progressive technology.”
Andersen adds that the infrastructure of the data center ticks all of the boxes that industry and site selectors require from zoning, power, water, fiber with the added bonus of solar capability, to workforce development programs, diverse housing and affordable cost of living.
“The Arizona Computer Data Center Program, which allows eligible tenants to have sales and use-taxes abated, supported by the business-friendly climate in Arizona, creates tremendous desirability for companies headquartered in California where the cost to do business is far greater,” said Mark Bauer, Managing Director of JLL Data Center Solutions.
The data center mega-site is strategically located within minutes of the confluence of the I-8 and I-10 corridor. The site features an array of utility providers for businesses to choose from as fiber optic lines are offered through Level 3 Communications/ CenturyLink, Salt River Project (SRP), Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), Sprint and Zayo. Electrical power will be supplied through APS and/or San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP), with solar options available up to several hundred megawatts.
Andersen and his company have kept a low profile since closing on its 11,400-acre Pinal County land in 2013, working in the interim extensively and collaboratively behind the scenes with engineers, land planners, consultants, and local and state government entities. Saint Holdings has literally constructed an environment conducive for success for an impending tech boom in Pinal County, Arizona. As Saint Holdings continues to attract tech-forward leaders in innovation such as Nikola, Lucid Motors and NextEra Energy, the Scottsdale-based company’s major land deals are now generating more buzz on the national stage.
