A proposed 500-megawatt natural gas power plant and battery energy storage system just outside Maricopa hit a procedural roadblock this week, after Pinal County's Planning and Zoning Commission continued a series of land-use requests tied to the project rather than approve or reject them outright. The delay came only after a motion to deny a key comprehensive plan amendment failed in a tense 5-4 vote, exposing deep division among commissioners over the Horseshoe Energy Project.
The commission continued a series of items involving Horseshoe BESS LLC, a subsidiary of Epic Star Energy Inc., to a future meeting, according to InMaricopa. That continuance came after commissioners nearly denied the project's comprehensive plan amendment outright, with the motion to deny failing by a single vote. As ABC15 reported, the series of items under review would have paved the way for the energy projects to proceed, including construction of the gas plant, the battery storage system, an evaporation pond for onsite wastewater, and infrastructure to connect the facility to the electrical grid.
A Rural Community Caught in the Crosshairs
The proposed site sits roughly 10 miles southwest of Maricopa in Hidden Valley, an unincorporated area where the land is owned by Desert Leasing LLC, per ABC15's reporting. The site sits adjacent to Table Top and Fulcar roads, near the Pinal West Substation, according to county planning and zoning records cited by the same InMaricopa report.
The White Plains, New York-based developer, backed by private investment firm Fortistar, is proposing the Hidden Valley project near the Pinal West Substation, InMaricopa reported.
Project Scope Grew as Opposition Mounted
The scale of the proposal has grown considerably since it was first floated. Application filings show Horseshoe BESS LLC expanded its requested natural gas generation capacity from an initial 250 megawatts to 500 megawatts, paired with a 500-megawatt battery energy storage system, according to InMaricopa's January 2026 coverage.
Before returning with the expanded request, Epic Star Energy hosted community open-house meetings in Hidden Valley in October and November 2025, InMaricopa reported.
Fire Safety and Water Worries Loom Large
Battery storage safety has become its own flashpoint at the county level. In November 2025, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors held a work session with Fire & Risk Alliance consultants to evaluate safety protocols and fire mitigation standards for utility-scale battery systems, according to the Pinal Post. Supervisor Rich Vitiello requested an independent assessment presentation, according to the Pinal Post.
Water has proven an even bigger obstacle for gas plants specifically. Just last month, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors rejected the sprawling 3,374-acre La Osa Energy Center proposal near Eloy, which included a 500-megawatt natural gas plant, following local outcry over regional groundwater depletion and dry residential wells, according to KJZZ. Hoodline previously covered that project's initial advance before supervisors ultimately turned it down.
Part of a Broader Buildout Across Pinal County
The Horseshoe proposal is part of a broader buildout across Pinal County.
Other energy projects have also been proposed in the region.
The region's utilities are part of the broader energy-development push.
For now, the Horseshoe Energy Project remains stuck in procedural limbo, with no new hearing date confirmed. Whether Epic Star Energy will scale back its 500-megawatt gas plant before returning to the commission, and how supervisors will ultimately weigh regional grid reliability against Hidden Valley residents' concerns over groundwater, noise, and fire safety, remains unresolved.
