Portland General Electric has agreed to purchase power from a new 162 MW solar generation facility – the largest in Oregon – to be developed and built in the eastern part of the state by Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc.
The new facility will supply power and the accompanying renewable energy credits to PGE’s Green Future Impact customers, helping them source up to 100% of their energy from a local renewable energy resource.
“We’re proud to meet growing customer demand for clean energy,” says Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric. “These partnerships are critical for creating jobs, thereby creating a green economy and accelerating clean energy delivery to customers.”
Green Future Impact is a voluntary renewable energy program that PGE introduced to give large businesses and municipalities more ways to meet their sustainability goals and strengthen the local clean energy industry. Avangrid Renewables will develop and own the project. PGE will purchase the facility’s entire output for 15 years, increasing the amount of clean energy in PGE’s system and creating a tangible connection between participating customers and their energy resources.
The new solar facility will be Avangrid Renewables’s 11th renewable energy facility in Oregon and will be built on 1,200 privately owned acres in Gilliam County.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2020 or early 2021. At its peak, construction will generate approximately 300 jobs in partnership with local unions. When the facility begins operating in late 2021, it will generate an estimated $1.3 million of taxes and property owner lease payments each year.
Photo: Avangrid Renewables’s landing page
