SpaceX is proposing a 6 GW AI computing campus near Cochise, Arizona. The company hosted a town hall on Nov. 4 about the project, which was filed with Cochise County under the name Tombstone Resources L.L.C. The county has yet to approve the project and has moved its Dec. 9 public hearing to 2 p.m. Arizona time (4 p.m. ET).
Nine Computing Buildings Near Apache Station
The special-use application covers about 747 acres east of U.S. Highway 191, beside the Apache Generating Station and about 13 miles from Willcox. SpaceX wants to build up to nine single-story computing buildings in four phases, each about 493,000 square feet. The full campus would draw about 6 GW and include 24 GWh of battery storage.
The first phase alone would draw about 1.5 GW. The application targets March 2027 for initial electricity to support construction. The computing load would come online in stages as utilities finish the transmission work and complete the studies needed to serve it. The buildings would be 38 feet 8 inches tall, so the application asks the county to raise the site’s 30-foot rural height limit to 40 feet. It also requests 50% site coverage and around-the-clock construction.
Where the Power Would Come From
Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) would deliver electricity, and Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) would handle the transmission and substation work. The application estimates SpaceX would spend about $3.6 billion on that infrastructure across all four phases. On site, it proposes natural gas standby generators rated at about 10 MW per building for critical equipment during outages.
The local co-op says the developer would have to cover the costs of supplying the campus, including grid upgrades. SpaceX and the two cooperatives still need to agree on terms, and the Arizona Corporation Commission would have to approve the agreement. Each stage would need engineering and load studies before it could come online.
How the Campus Would Use Water
SpaceX plans to cool the computing equipment with closed liquid loops and dry coolers in place of evaporative cooling towers. Its application estimates the finished campus would use about 7 to 10 acre-feet a year in operation, mostly for staff. The application treats the initial fill for the cooling loops separately. SpaceX proposes using treated wastewater from Apache Station if it can secure a supply, or bringing water in by truck. It proposes no new production well in the Willcox Active Management Area.
What SpaceX Is Offering and What the County Decides
SpaceX projects about 1,000 permanent jobs at full build-out and about 5,500 construction jobs at peak. It also estimates $34 million to $103 million in new annual county property tax and a one-time sales tax benefit of about $250 million. The application projects a 10% to 40% reduction in electricity bills for SSVEC members over the life of the project. The co-op says a residential bill offset is still being negotiated and would depend on the final agreement and state approval.
Riley Trettel (Energy & Data Center Development at SpaceX) in yesterdays Cochise Data Center meeting.
He claims the project will deliver up to:
– 40% off residential power bills for Sulphur Springs members, for the life of the project
– $53 million a year to the SSVEC… https://t.co/k7GRDzU5bV pic.twitter.com/Uu4MgcgQf2
— Robin (@xdNiBoR) November 5, 2026The Planning and Zoning Commission can approve the land-use request, attach conditions or deny it. The Dec. 9 hearing starts at 2 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room at 1415 W. Melody Lane, Building G, in Bisbee. Written comments received by noon local time on Nov. 27 will be included in the meeting packet.
