Considering land for an APS-related battery project?

Identify what the company means by an APS project

Ask the developer to describe the proposed relationship with APS. Would the company own the batteries and sell their services, build a project for the utility to acquire, or install equipment at an existing customer’s premises? Those arrangements can lead to different parties owning equipment and holding rights over your land.

APS’s posted 2025 All-Source RFP included energy storage under more than one transaction structure. It also included customer programs involving batteries. That document helps explain the range of possibilities; it does not show that the company approaching you has an APS contract.

Identify the legal entity asking you to sign, the entity developing the project and any proposed later owner. Ask which one would pay you, maintain access roads and remove equipment. If those roles could change, request an explanation of when and how.

If the batteries would serve your own building, ask how that affects your utility account, operations and access to equipment. If they would occupy a separately leased area, ask which rights extend outside it. Begin with the actual proposal rather than assuming all APS-related storage uses the same land arrangement.

Reference: APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

A planning need is different from an open solicitation

APS describes its Integrated Resource Plan as a study of future customer needs and resources. A planning document can explain why the utility is considering storage, but it does not identify an available deal for a particular property.

The procurement page checked in October 2026 links the 2025 All-Source RFP. The posted document, revised January 6, 2026, lists proposals due March 18, 2026. It describes later evaluation and anticipated contracting stages. Do not treat that old submission date as an opportunity to enter a new bid now.

If a developer says it is pursuing an APS opportunity, ask which solicitation or other commercial route it means and the stage reached. Has it submitted a proposal, been shortlisted, entered negotiations or executed an agreement? Request a dated explanation and the supporting record it can share.

You can ask Sunland about your land without preparing a utility bid. Describe the location and what you could consider. A property inquiry starts a discussion; it does not make you a participant in an APS solicitation or establish that an award is available.

Reference: APS: resource planning and current stakeholder materials · APS: request-for-proposals page linking the 2025 solicitation · APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

Understand why the developer wants an option

The 2025 RFP expected sufficient site control at proposal submission and through the associated APS agreement. It did not accept a letter of intent as the same evidence. Where a purchase or lease option was used, it required a redacted copy of that option with the proposal. The document treated certain longer-term opportunities separately.

This helps explain why a company may seek a signed land option before a utility contract is settled. It does not tell you what the option should cost, how long you should reserve the property or whether this particular proposal will succeed.

Read the option with its map. Which area is reserved? Can you farm it, keep tenants or make improvements while the developer investigates? What access is allowed for surveys or testing, and who repairs damage? Ask whether additional roads or cable rights would be requested later.

If the developer needs extra time for a utility decision, check the renewal provisions and payments. Is renewal automatic or does it require your agreement? What notice is due? What happens if the proposal is rejected or the team changes sites? Have the release terms reviewed along with the developer’s right to continue.

Reference: APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

Keep the shortlist, utility contract and land payments separate

The RFP describes initial screening, shortlisting, portfolio evaluation and final selection for negotiations. It also allows APS not to select proposals for negotiation and not to execute an agreement after negotiations. A shortlist is a step in that process, not proof that the deal is complete.

If your proposed rent depends on an APS milestone, ask exactly which document or event triggers it. “Project approval” could refer to a utility decision, a local permit or another step. Your agreement should make the intended event and payment date clear.

Ask who tells you when the milestone occurs and what evidence you receive. What happens if negotiations continue, the project changes or a contract is signed but construction is delayed? A projected operating date in a proposal does not explain your right to payment during those delays.

Put the important dates on one page with the developer: option expiration, renewal notice, utility decisions, expected construction and the proposed rent or closing trigger. Identify which dates are contract commitments and which are estimates. Review the consequences of a missed date before signing.

Reference: APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

Ask about deliverability, not just the nearest substation

The RFP warns that a connection to an APS substation may not establish the transmission connection needed for that procurement. It also discusses delivery from another utility’s system and the associated transmission costs. A line visible from your property does not answer those questions.

Ask the team to name the proposed connection point, the utility handling the connection and any separate delivery arrangements. Request the project’s current study or agreement reference and a map of the line route. Ask what the record establishes and which work remains.

APS’s FERC interconnection page describes a regional transmission route under its tariff. That general page does not establish which process applies to your battery. A battery serving an existing customer, a distribution-connected project and a transmission proposal need their actual arrangements explained.

If the connection route crosses land you retain, discuss the access and maintenance rights. If it crosses another owner’s land, ask who obtains that permission. Keep unresolved route rights on the project’s schedule rather than assuming they will be available because a substation is nearby.

Reference: APS: FERC generator interconnection route · APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

Find out who carries upgrade costs and ownership changes

For the 2025 procurement, APS expected bidders to include connection and delivery costs in their proposals. The document also addressed costs on other affected electric systems. Those bidder obligations do not, by themselves, establish what you would owe under a land agreement.

Ask who pays for studies, upgrades, route acquisition and work on your property. If a cost estimate rises, can the developer walk away, reduce the offered area or seek different terms? Find out what happens to option payments and any completed investigation work if the team stops.

The RFP offered both power-purchase and build-transfer structures for storage, and described possible later purchase rights in power-purchase arrangements. If a utility could acquire the project, ask what would happen to your land agreement and who would remain responsible during the change.

Review transfer notices, payment duties, access, insurance, repair and removal responsibilities with your adviser. The utility owning the batteries does not identify the party obligated under your lease. Ask for a clear account of the proposed ownership and contractual responsibilities rather than relying on the APS name.

Reference: APS: 2025 All-Source RFP, revised January 6, 2026

Tell us where the land is and what you can offer

Start with your contact details, county and property address or nearby road. Acreage and parcel number are optional. If you know the utility provider, include it. Say whether you could consider the whole property, a limited area, a lease or a sale.

Describe the current uses you want to keep: farming, tenants, building access, deliveries or future construction. Mention any part of the land that needs to stay accessible. A marked-up map is useful if you have one, but it is not required to begin.

If another company has approached you, tell us what stage the discussion has reached and whether there is an existing agreement or deadline. Mention the utility or project reference you have been given. You do not need to upload private bid materials or sign an access permission to send an inquiry.

Sunland may follow up for property details. Suitability still depends on the actual connection, approval route, site layout and proposed terms. An inquiry does not reserve the land, guarantee an APS contract or commit you to a lease or sale.