SANTA CRUZ
Substation-AdjacentPima County, Arizona · WECC
At a glance
SANTA CRUZ is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in Pima County, Arizona, scoring 56.7/100 DC Readiness — 15th of 493 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is SANTA CRUZ (0 mi, 138 kV). It sits in the WECC grid region and the TUCSON ELECTRIC POWER CO service territory, where interconnection has averaged 3.5 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 100 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 SANTA CRUZ compare with other sites in Pima County?
SANTA CRUZ ranks 15th of 493 scored candidate sites in Pima County. Its 56.7/100 is about 15% above the county average of 49.2. It is about 17% 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 (58 vs 34) and its weakest is water (16 vs 17). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is SANTA CRUZ to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, SANTA CRUZ, is about 0 miles away and operates at 138 kV. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is Simply Bits DC1 at 1.6 miles. 10 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is Simply Bits DC1, 1.6 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at SANTA CRUZ?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pima 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 Pima County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson International Airport Area | Brownfield | 230 kV | 3 MW | 3.5 yrs | 62.9 |
| OZ Pima | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 62.8 |
| TUCSON | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 62.7 |
| OZ Pima | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 62.4 |
| OZ Pima | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 61.6 |
| EC Near H Wilson Sundt Generating Station | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 61.5 |
| OZ Pima | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 60.6 |
| EC Near H Wilson Sundt Generating Station | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 60.0 |
SANTA CRUZ: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of SANTA CRUZ?
SANTA CRUZ scores 56.7/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated good. It ranks 15th of 493 scored sites in Pima County. The Pima County average is 49.2 and the Arizona average is 48.5.
What is the nearest substation to SANTA CRUZ?
The nearest mapped substation is SANTA CRUZ, about 0 miles away, at 138 kV. GridCensus catalogs 100 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
Which electric utility serves SANTA CRUZ?
TUCSON ELECTRIC POWER CO (investor owned) holds the retail service territory that contains the site; its holding company is UNS ELECTRIC INCORPORATED.
What grid region is SANTA CRUZ in?
SANTA CRUZ is in the WECC region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 3.5-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is SANTA CRUZ from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is Simply Bits DC1, about 1.6 miles away; 10 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, “SANTA CRUZ, Pima County, AZ”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/arizona/pima-county/santa-cruz-396fb17c (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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