BLACK MESA
Substation-AdjacentLa Paz County, Arizona · WECC
At a glance
BLACK MESA is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in La Paz County, Arizona, scoring 53.4/100 DC Readiness — 8th of 247 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is BLACK MESA (0 mi, 230 kV). It sits in the WECC grid region and the UNS ELECTRIC, INC service territory, where interconnection has averaged 3.5 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 300 MW of candidate capacity here.
Power & interconnection
Speed to power
Deep queue and long historical waits — plan for a multi-year interconnection timeline and engage the utility early.
Connectivity
Site characteristics
Risk & environment
Location context
Regulatory climate
Sales-tax exemption suspended Jul 2026–Jun 2029; water constraints add scrutiny.
Incentive detail: Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) for qualified facilities on government land.
Site location
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How does BLACK MESA compare with other sites in La Paz County?
BLACK MESA ranks 8th of 247 scored candidate sites in La Paz County. Its 53.4/100 is about 19% above the county average of 44.8. It is about 10% above the Arizona average of 48.5 and roughly in line with the national average of 53.2.
Against the Arizona average, its strongest sub-score is power availability (78 vs 34) and its weakest is fiber connectivity (46 vs 66). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is BLACK MESA to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, BLACK MESA, is about 0 miles away and operates at 230 kV. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is DataBank Las Vegas (LAS1) at 125.1 miles. 1 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is Google, 121.9 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at BLACK MESA?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates La Paz County "Relatively Low".
Full DC Readiness breakdown
All 13 weighted sub-scores (0–100) behind the composite DC Readiness score.
Nearby comparable sites
Other scored datacenter candidate sites in La Paz County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN305616 | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 58.6 |
| COLORADO RIVER | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 7.6 yrs | 57.1 |
| BLM Solar DLA: Brenda | Greenfield | — | 808 MW | 3.5 yrs | 55.7 |
| UNKNOWN302270 | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 55.6 |
| EAGLE EYE | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 55.3 |
| HARCUVAR | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 54.3 |
| NORTH HAVASU | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 53.9 |
| BUCK | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 53.3 |
BLACK MESA: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of BLACK MESA?
BLACK MESA scores 53.4/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated fair. It ranks 8th of 247 scored sites in La Paz County. The La Paz County average is 44.8 and the Arizona average is 48.5.
What is the nearest substation to BLACK MESA?
The nearest mapped substation is BLACK MESA, about 0 miles away, at 230 kV. GridCensus catalogs 300 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
Which electric utility serves BLACK MESA?
UNS ELECTRIC, INC (investor owned) holds the retail service territory that contains the site; its holding company is UNS ELECTRIC INCORPORATED.
What grid region is BLACK MESA in?
BLACK MESA is in the WECC region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 3.5-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is BLACK MESA from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is DataBank Las Vegas (LAS1), about 125.1 miles away; 1 fiber providers report service at the location.
Related pages
About this data
Source: GridCensus composite of HIFLD transmission and substation data, EIA, FEMA National Risk Index, FCC broadband data, PeeringDB and ISO interconnection queues, as published October 10, 2026 — GridCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “BLACK MESA, La Paz County, AZ”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/arizona/la-paz-county/black-mesa-33a2c6f8 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Figures are screening estimates derived from public infrastructure data. Catalogued capacity reflects theoretical candidate capacity, not deliverable or committed interconnection. Confirm all values with the utility, ISO, and on-the-ground due diligence.
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