Avangrid Renewables LLC and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) have announced a solar power contract for the Lund Hill Solar Project, which is under development in Klickitat County, Wash.
Avangrid Renewables is developing the 150 MW solar project, which would be the largest solar project in the state once completed, the company says. It would supply PSE’s renewable energy product, Green Direct, which allows participants the ability to purchase 100% of their energy from local renewable energy resources.
PSE’s second-round offering of the Green Direct program is already fully subscribed and will be a blend of wind and solar, with the Lund Hill Solar Project supplying the solar product. Lund Hill would represent an investment of more than $100 million by Avangrid Renewables, and PSE’s power purchase agreement (PPA) would cover the entire output of the solar project, which is still in development and is anticipated to reach commercial operation in 2020.
As announced recently by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Lund Hill Solar would be located on approximately 1,800 acres on a mix of land leased from private landowners and DNR.
“This is an incredible example of the public and private sector coming together to transform the trajectory of renewable energy in Washington state,” says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who announced last October that eight state agencies would be joining the Green Direct program with a commitment to purchase more than 100 million kWh of in-state wind and solar electricity by 2021. “This project will help us fight climate change, create clean energy jobs and save agencies thousands of dollars in energy costs. This is what Washington’s energy future is all about.”
The state of Washington is one of the largest customers in PSE’s Green Direct program, which has more than 40 customers signed up to receive wind and solar power.
“Our objective is a better energy future for our customers and the communities we serve,” says David Mills, senior vice president of policy and energy supply at PSE. “Large business and municipal customers want a specific, local resource they can point to as the source of their clean energy. Green Direct, and our partnership with Avangrid Renewables, makes that possible.”
“Customers like PSE and their Green Direct program are expanding the market for solar power in new parts of the country,” says Avangrid Renewables’ president and CEO, Laura Beane. “Adding solar to our wind portfolio in Klickitat County builds on the positive impact in the local communities where we develop clean energy projects, which create long-term benefits for everyone in the area.”
