Pinal County, Arizona
DataCentersExposed tracks 2 AI data centers in Pinal County, Arizona — 0 operating and 2 in the pipeline, drawing 3.4 GW of reported power demand, led by QTS Realty Trust, LLC. Its transparent data-center risk score is 0/100.
Sources: Methodology, Coverage scorecard
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated May 29, 2026
- Project exposure · 9
- Power demand · 31
- Water draw · n/a
- Land footprint · n/a
What's happening in Pinal County
Facilities here with disclosed capacity draw 3.4 GW from the local grid. Data-center load on this scale is the single biggest driver of recent capacity-market price increases — costs that flow through to every ratepayer in the service territory, not just the operators.
QTS Realty Trust, LLC has the largest presence in Pinal County. We resolve project codenames and shell LLCs back to the corporate parent wherever the public record allows, so the table below names who is actually behind each site.
Below: every tracked facility in the county, the active state legislation that names it or its county, and local news. Commissioner vote records arrive in a later release; the placeholders show where that accountability data will land.
2035 Buildout Outlook
Under the model's moderate-growth scenario (5%/yr annual load growth), PNNL's IM3 model sites about 2 standardized 36 MW campuses in Pinal County by 2035 — roughly 72 MW of new electricity demand and ~0 M gal/yr of cooling water. Under the higher-growth scenario (15%/yr) that climbs to 7 campuses (252 MW). For scale, we currently track 2 real data centers in Pinal County (3.4 GW of reported power).
- High growth272 MW · ~0 M gal/yr cooling water
- Higher growth7252 MW · ~0 M gal/yr cooling water
These are modeled candidate sites, not announced or permitted facilities. PNNL's IM3 model places identical 36 MW unit-campuses at feasible locations under each scenario — it shows where demand could concentrate, never a specific parcel. Figures use a market-gravity weight of 50. How the model works.
Every tracked facility
| Facility | Operator | Status | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermaland Data Center Red Rock | Vermaland LLC | Proposed | 3,000 |
| QTS Pinal County Campus | QTS Realty Trust, LLC | Under construction | 420 |
County commissioners
How the Pinal County board votes on each data-center matter — the rezonings, the abatements, the water permits — is built from public-meeting minutes and roll-call records. Know of a vote we should be tracking? Tell us.