Salt River Project Seals 600 MW SunZia Wind Offtake From Pattern Energy
Arizona utility Salt River Project has signed a 600 MW offtake from Pattern Energy's newly commissioned 3.65 GW SunZia Wind Project, wiring New Mexico megawatts directly into Phoenix data-centre load.
Key Takeaways
Salt River Project signed a 600 MW offtake deal with Pattern Energy from the 3.65 GW SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico, announced July 9, 2026 — one of the largest single-utility wind PPAs in the US this year.
Power will flow to Arizona via the purpose-built 550-mile SunZia HVDC transmission line, bypassing the congested Palo Verde–Devers corridor to serve booming Phoenix data-centre load from Meta, Microsoft and Google.
SunZia, fully energised in early June 2026 with 674 Vestas V163-4.5 MW turbines across three New Mexico counties, is now the largest onshore wind farm in the United States.
The deal supports SRP's 2035 carbon-reduction targets and marks the utility's first out-of-state wind purchase, hedging rate-payers against natural-gas price volatility.
EIA projects a record 80 GW of new US wind, solar and storage capacity coming online in 2026, with more SunZia utility offtake announcements expected through Q3.
Kaan Tınmaz
Salt River Project, the Arizona public power utility serving greater Phoenix, has agreed to off-take 600 MW of electricity from Pattern Energy Group's 3.65-GW SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico. Announced on July 9, 2026, the deal is one of the largest single-utility wind PPAs in the United States this year.
Powering Phoenix data-centre growth
SRP is racing to add zero-carbon generation as data-centre load in metro Phoenix balloons behind Meta, Microsoft and Google campuses. The 600 MW SunZia block will be delivered via the SunZia Transmission line — a purpose-built 550-mile HVDC link that carries New Mexico wind straight into Arizona's grid, bypassing the congested Palo Verde–Devers corridor.
SunZia now the largest U.S. wind farm
Pattern Energy energised the full 3.65 GW SunZia complex in early June 2026, making it the largest onshore wind farm in the United States and one of the largest anywhere in the world. The project runs on 674 Vestas V163-4.5 MW turbines across three counties in New Mexico and is anchored by long-term contracts with hyperscaler and utility offtakers.
SRP's 2035 clean-portfolio push
The offtake helps SRP meet its 2035 carbon-reduction targets while insulating rate-payers from natural-gas price volatility. It follows the utility's earlier moves into solar plus storage across Pinal County and expands its footprint into out-of-state wind, a first for a utility that had historically kept its portfolio inside Arizona. The deal also feeds the broader U.S. wind-buildout thesis: the EIA now projects 80 GW of new wind, solar and storage capacity coming online in 2026, a record year for both technologies.
Pattern's Vestas V163-4.5 MW turbines power the site, and additional utility offtake announcements are expected through Q3.
Reporting based on coverage from Renewables Now, Pattern Energy and EIA data.
How much power is Salt River Project buying from SunZia?
SRP is off-taking 600 MW from Pattern Energy's 3.65 GW SunZia Wind Project in New Mexico, one of the largest single-utility wind PPAs in the US in 2026.
How will the wind power reach Arizona?
Via the SunZia Transmission line, a purpose-built 550-mile HVDC link carrying New Mexico wind directly into Arizona's grid, bypassing the congested Palo Verde–Devers corridor.
How big is the SunZia Wind Project?
At 3.65 GW with 674 Vestas V163-4.5 MW turbines across three New Mexico counties, SunZia is the largest onshore wind farm in the United States and one of the largest in the world; it was fully energised in early June 2026.
Why is SRP adding out-of-state wind power?
To meet its 2035 carbon-reduction targets, serve rapidly growing Phoenix data-centre demand from Meta, Microsoft and Google, and insulate rate-payers from natural-gas price volatility. It is SRP's first wind purchase outside Arizona.
