The economy and energy prices.
Those are the two biggest issues I hear about from Yuma County residents, and you should know we are making progress on both fronts.
This year alone, our community has cut the ribbon on a new, state-supported workforce accelerator; welcomed a $100 million investment by Kimberly-Clark Corporation to build its newest U.S. manufacturing and test facilities; and is preparing to break ground on the nation’s first cobalt processing plant, which will provide an essential mineral for cutting-edge computer chips and medical devices. Yuma is even under consideration as a future spaceport for small rockets that launch communication satellites.
This kind of economic investment doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of an intentional strategy to ensure Yuma and Yuma County have in place the trained workforce, infrastructure and reliable energy supply that top employers need. These are the ingredients for quality economic growth in 2026.
Natural gas is the biggest single contributor to Arizona’s energy mix, and our state’s commercial natural gas prices are among the lowest in the country. Plans are underway for an interstate pipeline that will transport natural gas from New Mexico to Yuma County – delivering the energy our homes and businesses require.
That’s not all. Our community recently commemorated the groundbreaking of the Pioneer Clean Energy Center, which will produce 300MW of solar power for APS. That’s enough electricity for nearly 80,000 Yuma homes and businesses, as well as $25 million in tax revenue for local schools, 1st responders and critical services.
The Pioneer project will pair solar with utility-scale battery storage so the energy can be saved and deployed when needed most.
It’s a proven formula. When Texas experienced a massive winter storm in 2024, battery storage rode to the rescue by helping meet surging demand. In the process, batteries saved an estimated $750 million in day-ahead market costs.
Yuma may not experience many deep freezes, but our searing summer days provide a similar challenge for the grid.
In Greater Yuma alone, over 2 gigawatts of renewable generation and battery storage is scheduled to come online in the next two years. While many communities are struggling to meet energy demand, Yuma has been a national leader by combining the baseload power of natural gas with renewables and battery storage.
The result is a resilient, abundant and affordable energy supply for Yuma homes and businesses.
Yuma and Arizona will need to continue innovating to meet increasing demand for energy. Natural gas, nuclear, coal, renewables, battery storage – we’ll need it all. That includes looking at ways to re-open shuttered facilities like Cholla Power Plant, as APS proposes to do by retrofitting the plant to run on natural gas. It’s a great idea.
As it turns out, our economy and energy policy are linked in more ways than one. With smart, all-of-the-above energy policy, we can both create the jobs our state needs and the affordable, reliable energy Arizona requires.
Jonathan Lines is a member of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, local businessman, Chairman of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority and former Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party.
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