Protect Surprise & West Valley from a 700 MW Gas Power Plant
Takanock LLC wants to build a massive data center complex with 18 jet turbine generators just half a mile from Surprise city limits, in one of the most air-polluted counties in America. The Arizona Corporation Commission has already approved the environmental certificate. Maricopa County is our last chance to stop this.
The issue: A 700 MW gas power plant (18 jet turbine generators, 72-foot exhaust stacks, running 24/7) proposed one mile from an active Air Force base and 2,000 feet from family homes, in a county that already fails federal air quality standards. That's what's being decided.
On April 9, 2026, the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the Military Compatibility Permit for Project Baccara. The recommendation now advances to the Board of Supervisors, which holds final decision authority.
Community members who attended or listened to the hearing reported that residents with data-driven concerns about air quality, noise, and health impacts were given limited time to speak, while supporters of the project spoke at length without providing specific data or citations. Multiple residents said their concerns were dismissed or trivialized by Commission members.
The Board of Supervisors is the final decision-making body for this project. Unlike the P&Z Commission, the Board has elected officials who are directly accountable to voters. This is the same Board that unanimously denied the $3.2 billion BNSF logistics project near Surprise in November 2025.
If you have not contacted your Supervisor, now is the time. The Board needs to hear from the community before they vote. Contact information is below.
Written comments: Email agenda.comments@maricopa.gov to submit comments for the Board's consideration. All email comments are forwarded to each Board office.
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department held its public hearing on the Project Baccara draft air quality permit (F053690 / P0013417) on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Community members testified virtually via Microsoft Teams. The written comment period closed April 8, 2026. MCAQD will review the full hearing record alongside all written comments before issuing a final permit determination.
Concern 1: Thin Margin to Major Source Classification. Takanock is permitted at 89.9 tons of NOx per year, just 10 percent below the 100 tons per year threshold that triggers major source classification. At that level, the facility would face mandatory NOx offset purchases in the nonattainment area, stricter monitoring, and additional federal oversight. A resident review of the permit documents found that doubling propane use to 20 percent of operations, which Arizona summer curtailment conditions can produce, pushes total NOx to 100.7 tons. Read the full permit analysis.
Concern 2: Propane Emissions Are Significantly Higher. The draft permit allows propane as a backup fuel during gas curtailments and periods of high market pricing. NOx limits under propane are 5.0 ppmvd per turbine vs. 2.0 ppmvd on natural gas. During startups and shutdowns on propane, each turbine emits 42.2 pounds of NOx per hour, compared to 9.2 on natural gas. The permit authorizes up to 3,600 startup and shutdown events per year with no limit on how many can occur on propane.
Concern 3: The Air Modeling Excluded Nearby Major Sources. The modeling report states that no nearby sources were expected to contribute to cumulative impact, and therefore none were included. This excluded Luke Air Force Base, the Aligned Data Center on Olive Avenue, and other industrial facilities. Cumulative impacts in a nonattainment area must be evaluated to protect public health.
Concern 4: Best Available Technology. The project proposes Siemens Simple Cycle natural gas turbines. H-Class combined cycle turbines are the industry standard near residential areas and produce substantially lower NOx emissions per unit of power generated.
The ACC approved the environmental certificate 5-0 in February 2026. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 7-0 on April 9, 2026. The Board of Supervisors will vote on May 6, 2026. This is the final decision point. Takanock has targeted Q3 2026 for construction. The Board of Supervisors is the last chance to stop this project.
Over 6,800 signatures on the Stop Baccara petition. Over 1,000 members in the Project Baccara Opposition Facebook group. Similar data center projects were stopped in Chandler and Tucson through community pressure in 2025. This IS stoppable.
These articles draw exclusively from permit documents, published science, and public records. Everything is cited and sourced. Best-case assumptions are applied throughout in the developer's favor. The facts speak for themselves.
Everything a Surprise-area resident needs to understand before the Board of Supervisors votes on May 6. The basics, the key findings, the business model, and what you can do. Shareable.
Read the briefing →The draft permit keeps emissions at 89.9 tons of NOx per year, 10 percent below the major source threshold. We ran the arithmetic from Takanock's own permit tables. Propane use at 20 percent of operations pushes total NOx to 100.7 tons: above the trigger.
Read the analysis →Simple-cycle combustion turbines are the loudest class of gas-fired power plant. No noise study exists in the permit record. The city of Surprise requested one. No regulatory body required it. This article describes what the published record shows and what that gap means.
Read the analysis →Seven months of actual APS bills show how ambient temperature drives the demand charge on a Time-of-Use plan. APS's own rate filing tells the county what is causing residential costs to rise. Takanock told ABC15 something different.
Read the analysis →Takanock's own press release describes the turbines as "prime power until" a substation is completed, then a "wholesale grid resource." The ACC approved the project on the basis it would not burden ratepayers. The published plan describes a different outcome.
Read the analysis →Takanock and project supporters have made specific claims about emissions, utility bills, and community benefits. Here is what their own data and public statements actually show, checked against primary sources.
Read the fact check →What we know about Project Baccara, documented and sourced.
The real impact on our community, with evidence.
Maricopa County is already among the most air-polluted counties in the United States. Adding 18 natural gas jet turbines with 72-foot exhaust stacks will increase emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter in an area where air quality already threatens public health.
The EPA's Clean Air Act requires areas to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Maricopa County has historically struggled with ozone and particulate matter compliance.
Source: American Lung Association
The project is estimated to use nearly 59 million gallons of water annually to cool the 18 power plant jet turbines. In Arizona, where water is a precious and increasingly scarce resource, this consumption is unsustainable.
While Takanock claims they will use cooled chillers instead of evaporative coolers, the city has NOT independently verified these claims.
Source: Change.org Petition
Residents describe the anticipated noise as "the constant hum of jet engine turbines." The facility would operate 24/7, disrupting sleep and quality of life for thousands of families in the surrounding area.
The city has requested noise studies, but no independent verification has occurred.
Source: Blaze Radio
The proximity of a massive industrial facility with exhaust stacks and noise presents a financial threat to homeowners, many of whom have invested their life savings in these homes.
Industrial facilities near residential areas have been shown to depress property values by 10-25% in multiple studies.
Source: Change.org Petition
Data centers generate massive amounts of heat. Combined with 18 natural gas turbines, this facility will contribute to localized temperature increases, worsening an already extreme heat problem in the Phoenix metro area.
Families moved to this area for its rural character and peaceful environment. This massive industrial complex threatens everything they chose this community for.
"Race across the grass, check on our neighbor's cattle and catch toads at sunset. This is the life we hoped for. Project Baccara, planned just a half mile from our home, is threatening all of this." -- Resident testimony
Where the project stands, and where we can still fight.
APPROVED, ACC voted 5-0 on Feb 4, 2026
Line Siting Committee approved 8-1 in December 2025. This hurdle is passed.
PENDING, Required from Maricopa County due to proximity to Luke AFB
Luke Air Force Base is approximately one mile away. This permit is a genuine pressure point, Luke's mission and flight patterns are a real constraint on what can be built in this area.
APPROVED 7-0, April 9, 2026 (recommendation to Board of Supervisors)
The P&Z Commission recommended approval. This is a recommendation only. The Board of Supervisors makes the final decision.
HEARING: May 6, 2026. Final decision authority.
This is the last chance to stop Project Baccara. The Board has final say and is not bound by the P&Z recommendation. This is the same Board that unanimously denied the $3.2B BNSF project near Surprise. Contact your Supervisor now.
Community pressure works. Keep showing up.
What you can do today to help stop Project Baccara.
Join over 6,800 residents who have already signed the Stop Project Baccara petition.
Connect with over 1,000 members in the Project Baccara Opposition Facebook group. Get updates, share information, and coordinate.
The P&Z Commission recommended approval 7-0 on April 9. Formal comments submitted to the county are still part of the official record the Board of Supervisors will review.
The Board has final approval authority and will vote on May 6, 2026. Let them know their constituents oppose this project. Email agenda.comments@maricopa.gov to submit comments for the Board's consideration.
The Board of Supervisors hearing on May 6, 2026 is the final decision point for Project Baccara. Attend in person at 205 W Jefferson St, Phoenix (Board of Supervisors Auditorium). Numbers matter. This is the same Board that unanimously denied the $3.2 billion BNSF project near Surprise.
While the project is in unincorporated county land, Surprise is requesting thorough review. Push them to formally oppose the project.
Know the facts when the conversation gets hard. Click to expand.
The developer claims approximately 100 permanent jobs and $50 million in tax revenue. But at what cost?
The question here isn't whether economic development matters. The question is whether this site, one mile from an active Air Force base, surrounded by family homes, in one of the most air-polluted counties in America, is appropriate for a 700 MW gas power plant. The Board applies that standard to every project. It denied a $3.2B BNSF logistics hub on the same grounds.
The "bring your own power" model is being marketed as a benefit, but it comes with significant downsides:
The site is zoned IND-3 (industrial), but the reality is more complicated:
Just because something can be built somewhere doesn't mean it should be.
The ACC approval was narrow in scope and didn't address all concerns:
"The air quality issues in this area concern me immensely. To add a power plant to this populated area is not the right move." -- Margaret Little, Committee Member (voted against)
Community opposition has stopped similar projects before, in Arizona and across the country:
The petition has 6,800+ signatures. The Facebook group has 1,000+ members. People are showing up. This is how projects get stopped.
Make your voice heard at every level.
Final approval authority. Your district supervisor needs to hear from you.
Find Your SupervisorPush for formal opposition resolution. The project is half a mile from city limits.
Contact CouncilAG Mayes has pursued legal challenges against other controversial projects. Make her aware of community concerns.
Contact AGRequest independent air quality impact assessment.
Contact MCAQDState representatives can apply pressure and propose protective legislation.
Find LegislatorsSend to Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Planning and Development.
Dear [Supervisor Name / Planning and Development],
I am writing to express my strong opposition to Project Baccara, the proposed data center and 700 MW natural gas power plant planned for the Bullard Avenue and Olive Avenue area in unincorporated Maricopa County.
While the Arizona Corporation Commission has approved the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility, significant concerns remain that must be addressed before any county permits are issued:
Air Quality: Maricopa County is already among the most air-polluted counties in the United States. Adding 18 natural gas jet turbine generators with 72-foot exhaust stacks will worsen air quality for thousands of residents. Line Siting Committee member Margaret Little voted against the project specifically because "the air quality issues in this area concern me immensely."
Water Usage: The project is estimated to use approximately 59 million gallons of water annually. In a water-scarce desert environment, this consumption must be independently verified and scrutinized.
Community Impact: The nearest residents are approximately 500 meters from the site. Over 6,800 people have signed a petition opposing this project. Similar data center projects were rejected in Chandler and Tucson after community opposition.
I urge you to:
1. Require independent air quality, noise, and water impact studies, not just developer-provided assessments
2. Hold public hearings with adequate notice and accessibility
3. Consider the cumulative impact on a region that already struggles with air quality compliance
4. Deny the Military Compatibility Permit and Plan of Development until all concerns are addressed
This project may bring some jobs and tax revenue, but not at the cost of our air quality, water resources, property values, and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]
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