Renewable energy developer rPlus Energies has commenced construction of the 200 MW AC / 240 MW DC Appaloosa Solar 1 project located in Iron County, Utah.
Neighboring Appaloosa Solar 1 is the 80 MW AC / 110 MW DC Three Peaks Solar project. Completed in 2016, Three Peaks Solar was the second utility-scale solar project developed in Utah by the same leadership team that now heads rPlus Energies.
“We are proud to be back in Iron County with a third project, the largest to date,” says rPlus Energies’ president and CEO, Luigi Resta. “Iron County has been a fantastic, supportive community and we are happy to continue our approach to build in Utah, by Utah and for Utah with this project.”
Recently, Greenbacker Capital Management, a renewable energy asset manager, invested in Appaloosa Solar 1. The transaction represents the latest collaboration between a Greenbacker affiliate and rPlus Energies that recently developed, built and commissioned the 80 MW AC Graphite Solar project in Carbon County, Utah – Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company’s largest operational clean energy project to date.
“Building durable partnerships is critical to building the future of energy, and we at Greenbacker are incredibly pleased to continue our partnership with rPlus,” states Ben Tillar, VP of investments at Greenbacker. “We’re excited to contribute to utility-scale solar plants like Appaloosa, which will support green jobs and help Utah run on cost-effective renewable power.”
Sundt Construction, with experience in Utah including the rPlus-developed Graphite Solar Project in Carbon County completed in June 2022, is providing engineering, procurement and construction for Appaloosa Solar 1. The rPlus team will remain involved with construction management and community relations.
The Appaloosa Solar 1 project has two long-term power purchase agreements in place with PacifiCorp on behalf of Meta. The contract was developed under Rocky Mountain Power’s Schedule 34 green energy tariff, which allows large customers to purchase renewable energy generated on their behalf.
