Board of Supervisors OKS propane dispensing permit
Cobalt processing plant also gets approval
The Yuma County Board of Supervisors has given its stamp of approval to a special use permit for propane dispensing.
The supervisors unanimously recommended approval of the permit that allows Nona’s Investments Properties to dispense propane at Fortuna Hills Liquor, 11525 S. Fortuna Road.
A previous Yuma Sun story had stated that the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission had approved the permit, however, the commission only recommended approval of the permit to the Board of Supervisors, which has the final say.
Staff had also recommended approval of the 15-year permit. The county received one letter in opposition that was later withdrawn. The propane dispensing area consists of a 2,000-gallon capacity tank and dispensing pump protected by bollards.
During the commission meeting, Javier Barraza, senior planner, explained that the Foothills retailer thought he was legally selling propane and had previously installed the propane tank and signs without the proper permits.
After learning of the situation, a county official removed the propane tank. Rivan Nona, who opened the liquor store in March 2022, further explained the situation to the commissioners.
“There was a lot of miscommunication between the Ferrellgas company and the county,” Nona said. “I had thought that everything was done properly … We did propane sales for about seven months there, and the chief inspector came and took it out.”
Nona noted that he has multiple businesses, including three other propane dispensers in the city of Yuma. “I’ve tried to expand my business to the Yuma County area and hope to do more business with you,” he added.
During the P&Z hearing, Nona received support from the public. However, no speakers asked to address the request during the supervisors’ hearing.
Another special use permit receiving approval by the supervisors was a permit allowing Evelution Energy to build a cobalt sulfate production facility on 138 acres of undeveloped desert terrain in the vicinity of Old Highway 80 and Avenue 47½E, about 7½ miles west of Tacna.
Cobalt sulfate is used in batteries for electric vehicles. This would be the first facility in the United States, according to the applicant.
The Planning Commission and staff also previously recommended approval of the permit.
Navaid Alam, CEO of Evelution Energy, explained that cobalt is mainly mined in Africa and largely processed in China before arriving in America.
His goal is to bring the processing to America, thereby providing jobs, tax revenues and skills training for the newly employed people of Yuma County. The company said that the Arizona Commerce Authority will provide training at the Arizona Western College campus in Wellton.
The product will be sold to companies such as General Motors, Tesla, Panasonic and LG who are building electric vehicle battery manufacturing facilities across the U.S.
The material will be trucked to the site in oneton super sacks from the Port of Ensenada and unloaded inside the facility.
The facility will be powered by its own 28.4 megawatt solar power farm.
About 70% of the water will be recycled, and no dust will escape, according to Alam. All materials will be processed indoors. Tailings from the process plant will be non-hazardous and transported by truck to the Copper Mountain landfill in Wellton, which is 16 miles from the project site.
In addition, Evelution Energy hopes to add electric charging stations for the public.
In an economic impact report, the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp. indicated that the facility will generate $160 million in construction value and $55 million during construction of the facility.
The facility will create 1,229 new jobs during construction and 60 jobs at the facility per year, resulting in an annual payroll of $3.6 million and $30.4 million in annual household spending. It’s also expected to contribute an annual average of $2.5 million in local and state tax revenues.
The project is in a qualified opportunity zone. “There’s a lot of tax incentives to build here. The federal government is providing significant tax breaks for this investment,” Alam said.
Daniel Neff, the project’s head engineer, pointed out that this would be the first cobalt sulfate plant in the United States.
“There’s a small one up in Canada, but this would be the first time in the U.S.,” he said.
Evelution Energy hopes to break ground at the end of this year or early 2024. And then it will take another year and a half to finish construction.