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Cochise County, Arizona: solar, wind, and storage projects and permits
Planned power plants, county offices, and the rules for a utility-scale lease, a business system, or rooftop solar in Cochise County, county seat Bisbee.
Check land in Cochise CountyOpens the land report with the map on the county; click a spot for its flood, wetland, habitat, line-distance and parcel check.
What power plants are planned in Cochise County?
EIA's August 2026 survey lists 2 planned plants in Cochise County, about 351 MW in all. Operating today, per the same EIA file: 578 MW gas, 554 MW solar, 275 MW battery storage, 230 MW other.
What stands out in Cochise County
By capacity, battery storage leads in Cochise County with 176 MW at 2 plants, followed by solar (2 plants, 176 MW); 2 plants pair two technologies on one site. The largest is Winchester Solar I, LLC, 176 MW of battery storage plus solar owned by Torch Operating Company, LLC, under construction (over half done), with a planned start of 3/2027. Of the 2, 2 are under construction. They join the grids run by Tucson Electric Power (1) and WAPA Desert Southwest (1). Planned start dates run from 3/2027 to 5/2027.
A listing means an owner reported plans to EIA; plans change, and the planned date is the owner's own estimate.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Plant and owner | Type | MW | Stage | Planned start iThe month and year the owner told EIA it plans to begin operating. Owners change these dates often. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester Solar I, LLCTorch Operating Company, LLC · TEPC | Battery storage + Solar | 176 | Under construction (over half done) | 3/2027 |
| Winchester Solar II, LLCTorch Operating Company, LLC · WALC | Battery storage + Solar | 176 | Under construction (over half done) | 5/2027 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-860M, August 2026 file, planned generators; utilities' own queues list many more requests. What the stages and grid codes mean.
What can Cochise County require of a project?
Arizona has no state siting permit for solar, wind, or battery plants and no state decommissioning law, so Cochise County's own zoning sets most of the rules; a transmission line of 115 kV or more needs a state certificate (state rules).
County rules and recent actions: Ordinance 23-02, approved 3–0 on January 10, 2023, amended the county's rules for solar energy power plants (Section 1824). The planning staff memo for the change proposed requiring owners to continuously maintain financial assurance equal to the net decommissioning cost. (Board minutes; staff memo (R-22-04))
Property taxesState trust landWater
Who to contact in Cochise County
Cochise County websiteAssessorPlanning and zoningFlood control district
Solar for homes and businesses in Cochise County
Arizona's export rates, HOA rules, and tax breaks for rooftop and on-site solar are set statewide and by your utility, not by the county: Arizona home and business solar rules · utility application links.
State and federal reviews
ADEQ stormwater coverage, Arizona Game and Fish review, historic preservation consultation, and federal wildlife screening can apply to a site in Cochise County: Arizona agency list.
Get the land report for a spot
Flood zone, wetlands, nearest power line, soils, and more for any point. Parcel acreage fills in automatically in Texas and 26 other states (not Arizona, which has no statewide parcel layer).