WATKINS
Substation-AdjacentPinal County, Arizona · WECC
At a glance
WATKINS is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in Pinal County, Arizona, scoring 53.3/100 DC Readiness — 115th of 471 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is WATKINS (0 mi, 69 kV). It sits in the WECC grid region and the SALT RIVER PROJECT service territory, where interconnection has averaged 3.5 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 50 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 WATKINS compare with other sites in Pinal County?
WATKINS ranks 115th of 471 scored candidate sites in Pinal County. Its 53.3/100 is roughly in line with the county average of 49.5. It is roughly in line with 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 (46 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 WATKINS to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, WATKINS, is about 0 miles away and operates at 69 kV. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is EdgeCore Phoenix at 15.1 miles. 15 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is L3Harris Technologies Inc, 14.4 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at WATKINS?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pinal 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 Pinal County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Crossing Energy and Research Cent | Brownfield | 69 kV | 1,779 MW | 3.5 yrs | 69.5 |
| BROWNING | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 65.7 |
| SAGUARO | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 63.8 |
| ABEL | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 63.0 |
| DUKE | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 62.3 |
| TORTOLITA | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 62.0 |
| PINAL CENTRAL | Substation-Adjacent | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 61.4 |
| SCHRADER | Substation-Adjacent | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 60.8 |
WATKINS: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of WATKINS?
WATKINS scores 53.3/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated fair. It ranks 115th of 471 scored sites in Pinal County. The Pinal County average is 49.5 and the Arizona average is 48.5.
What is the nearest substation to WATKINS?
The nearest mapped substation is WATKINS, about 0 miles away, at 69 kV. GridCensus catalogs 50 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
Which electric utility serves WATKINS?
SALT RIVER PROJECT (political subdivision) holds the retail service territory that contains the site.
What grid region is WATKINS in?
WATKINS is in the WECC region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 3.5-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is WATKINS from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is EdgeCore Phoenix, about 15.1 miles away; 15 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, “WATKINS, Pinal County, AZ”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/arizona/pinal-county/watkins-f4fcaa23 (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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