Jeni Prough, Jennifer Jackson of Avantus, and David Prough discuss the specifics of the Ore Town Solar Project in San Manuel. Photo by T.C. Brown
Ore Town Solar Project representatives were on hand at the meeting on Sept. 16, 2025, to provide an opportunity to learn more about the Ore Town Solar Project. Community members were offered a chance ask questions and submit comments at the recent neighborhood meeting at the San Manuel Community Center.
Ore Town Solar is a proposed clean energy project under development on 1,200 acres of private land in San Manuel, an unincorporated community in Pinal County.
Ore Town would feature a 145 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) facility and a 145 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to help meet Arizona’s growing energy needs. The batteries would store electricity generated from the solar panels and deliver clean energy to the grid during periods of high demand.
“Avantus is committed to being a good neighbor, which means taking the time to understand San Manuel’s values and needs and identifying opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways. We believe that local communities should benefit from businesses operating in the area. As the project progresses, we are excited to support and partner with local organizations in San Manuel and Pinal County.
“So far, we have partnered with the San Manuel Revitalization Coalition on key projects including the Annual Holiday Craft Fair and the San Manuel High School Graduation Party. We have also partnered with the San Manuel Elks Lodge to provide scholarships to students at San Manuel High School.
“We’re actively working to find additional opportunities to increase our contributions and provide benefits to the community of San Manuel. Community Members can share their thoughts or ideas at https://www.oretownsolar.com/contact-us.
“Avantus recently created additional visual simulations to show the minimal visual impact of the project in more detail. These include a drive-through simulation (with aerial views) traveling on S. Veterans Memorial Blvd. and a 360-degree viewpoint from S. Veterans Memorial Blvd.” https://www.oretownsolar.com/visual-simulations
The project is moving through the permitting and review process and is currently scheduled for construction in 2026-2027. Next up in the process is Planning and Zoning review. After that the project would go before the Board of Supervisors. If all goes well it is expected that the project could be operational in 2029.
District 4 Supervisor and Vice Chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, Jeffrey McClure, was on-hand at the neighborhood meeting.
“Over its operating life, Ore Town Solar is estimated to generate tens of millions in tax revenue for the County and local districts, including Mammoth San-Manuel Unified School District and the San Manuel Fire District.”
More information can be found at https://www.oretownsolar.com.
Proposed project area is near the community of San Manuel, east of South Veterans Memorial Boulevard. The project would connect to the regional electrical grid via a short (less than 1 mile) generation-tie (“gen-tie”) line at the San Manuel Substation operated by APS. Avantus submitted.