Southwest Pulse: March 2024
Planning
ARIZONA
Clenera LLC is developing a new solar project with a nameplate capacity of up to 294 MWdc—along with a battery storage facility with a capacity of up to 940 MWh—at the Apache Station in Cochise County. Estimated at $1.4 billion, the project is expected to start construction in June, with completion estimated for July 2025. Clenera is working in cooperation with the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative. Clenera LLC, 999 W. Main St., Boise, 83702. DR#24-00081084.
ARIZONA
KORE Power is expecting to start construction in June on the first phase of its planned two-phase KOREPlex Lithium Battery Manufacturing Facility in Buckeye. Preliminary site preparation is underway. The first phase includes construction of 15 one-story buildings totaling 1 million sq ft, including a 909,000-sq-ft manufacturing plant. Completion of the first phase is estimated for July 2026. SSOE/Stevens & Wilkinson is serving as the architect and engineer, with W.G. Yates and Sons working as the contractor. A second phase valued at $574.4 million could start construction by late 2025. KORE Power Inc., 1875 N. Lakewood Drive, Ste. 303, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, 83814. DR#21-00717760.
NEVADA
Brightline West is in the final stages of planning, with funding being approved and allotted for its $4.8-billion High Speed Rail Track Las Vegas-Victor Valley project. Groundbreaking is planned for the spring, with construction to start in the summer. The line will travel along the Interstate-15 corridor from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif. Nevada will see 34 miles of track running along I-15. Construction on the first of three Nevada sections that includes a 21-mile south segment starting at the Nevada state line is slated to kick off at the end of the year. The rail line in California is also split into three sections, including a 39-mile portion from Victorville to just south of Barstow; a 45-mile segment running from Barstow to Baker; and a 51-mile segment from Baker to the Nevada state line. Three firms have been hired as construction managers: Skanska USA Civil West; Las Vegas Paving Corp.; and Balfour Beatty Rail. Brightline West, 3920 W. Hacienda Ave., Las Vegas, 89118. DR#19-00800426.
NEVADA
The Oakland A's - Athletics Investment Group announced the design team for their estimated $1.5-billion Major League Baseball ballpark and stadium project in Las Vegas, naming Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as master planning design lead and HNTB as sports/hospitality designer and architect-of-record. The ballpark will have a 33,000-seat capacity and will include a fixed roof that features five overlapping layers, with the wall behind the outfield featuring an 18,000-sq-ft jumbotron. The joint venture of Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Cos. was announced last August as construction manager for the project, which will occupy a 9-acre portion of the existing 35-acre Tropicana Resort at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. The Athletics estimate construction to start by April 2025, with completion by February 2028. Oakland A's - Athletics Investment Group LLC, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, Calif., 94621-1917. DR#23-00032658.
NEVADA
NV Energy has proposed for construction a three-part project that would retrofit its Valmy Generating Station—its last coal generating facility—to be natural gas powered, along with construction of a 400-MW solar facility and a battery storage facility. The owner is currently seeking approvals, with an April 2026 target listed for construction start. Total investment for the project was listed at $1.75 billion. NV Energy, 6226 W Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, DR#24-00083653.
