The Navajo County Board of Supervisors has approved a Development Agreement with SE Cygnus to develop and operate a 650-megawatt solar energy facility in the county. The agreement comes as interest in renewable energy projects grows in Arizona, partly due to state and federal incentives, regional transmission access, and available private land.
Arizona law limits the authority of counties to deny lawful uses of private property if proposed projects comply with zoning and land-use regulations. Supervisor Daryl Seymore, Chairman of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors, stated: “Arizona law is clear that private property rights are fundamental, and counties may not arbitrarily restrict lawful land uses. The Board’s responsibility is not to decide whether renewable energy is a good or bad industry, but to apply the ordinance and ensure that it is applied consistently to every landowner.”
The approval follows several months of public engagement. The county updated its Comprehensive Plan and Renewable Energy Ordinance based on community input. Public outreach included listening sessions across Navajo County, an online comment portal, and extended public comment periods.
County staff conducted a technical review confirming that the project meets all ordinance requirements such as dark-sky-compliant lighting, wildlife-friendly fencing, environmental standards, road impact verification, setbacks, and financial security bonding for full removal of solar panels at the end of their operational life.
The project is expected to provide long-term property tax revenues for local services including schools. Holbrook and Snowflake School Districts are projected to receive about $20 million; Northland Pioneer College will get $5.5 million; Flood Control District $783,000; Public Health District $718,000; Library District $286,000; NAVIT Career and Technical Education District $158,000.
These funds are intended to support education initiatives in Navajo County where recent data shows challenges in student achievement. In the 2023-24 school year AASA test results for grades 3 through 8 showed that 27.3% passed mathematics while https://www.azed.gov/ reported that 73.3% failed this section during the previous year. High school students saw only 21% pass mathematics on the ACT in 2023-24 according to https://www.azed.gov/, while 80% failed this section during the prior year.
SE Cygnus has also agreed to a one-time $6 million mitigation contribution aimed at addressing short-term impacts from construction activity and temporary workforce housing by supporting local Fire and EMS services along with other affected infrastructure.
For more information about the Development Agreement or Navajo County’s renewable energy review process visit www.navajocountyaz.gov/754/Renewable-Energy-Ordinance-Updates.
