APS to use state land for solar

The Arizona State Land Department will earn $10 million during a 35-year lease for its first solar power plant, a Yuma project that will power Arizona Public Service Co. The department and the utility announced the project Tuesday, marking the first time state trust lands have been auctioned for a solar development. The department also recently secured a lease for a second solar project, which will be west of Phoenix. The money from the sale or lease of state trust lands primarily funds kindergarten through 12th-grade education, and Commissioner Maria Baier said renewable-energy projects could one day generate $30 million to $50 million a year for the department. "Because of the inventory of land we have and the quantity of land we have, some of which is near available transmission lines, we believe it will be a good moneymaker for us over time," she said. "The only other use for the land in question (for the solar plant) would have been grazing. And this is clearly more lucrative for us than a grazing lease would have been." Already the department has two wind projects on its land in northern Arizona -- Dry Lake and Perrin Ranch -- and could soon have a third, Baier said.

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