San Diego Community Power (SDCP), a not-for-profit community choice energy program serving five cities in the San Diego region, has entered into a power purchase agreement with an affiliate of RAI Energy International Inc. (RAI Energy), a Silicon Valley-based global renewable energy development company.
The project is located in Imperial County, Calif., and is an integrated 100 MW photovoltaic solar energy project and up to 150 MW/600 MWh of battery energy storage that will provide San Diego Community Power with a 20-year supply of renewable energy, help meet peak summer demand and support grid reliability. With this first project, called the Vikings Energy Farm, SDCP says it is delivering on its promise to invest in regional renewable energy projects that support economic development and local jobs.
San Diego Community Power was formed in Fall 2019 and launched electricity supply services last month for municipal customers in the five-member cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and San Diego. The program provides local control and consumer choice regarding energy decisions on a large scale for the first time in the region’s history.
“We are thrilled to be delivering on our promise to invest in projects that deliver more renewable energy to our customers and support regional jobs and economic development,” says Joe Mosca, chair of the board at San Diego Community Power. “The Vikings Energy Farm project will provide clean energy when we need it most while supporting our goal of procuring 100% renewable energy to our customers by 2035 or sooner.”
RAI Energy, through its affiliate Vikings Energy Farm LLC, will develop, design, permit, construct, own and operate the proposed project. Construction on the Vikings Energy Farm is expected to begin in the fall of 2022, with commercial operations expected to begin in the summer of 2023. RAI Energy has a union labor agreement in place and is expected to employ in excess of 250 union workers at peak construction.
