Community-based, not-for-profit public power utility Salt River Project (SRP) and Clenera, an Enlight company, have executed a power purchase agreement for an additional 394 MW AC – or 475 MW DC – of clean energy at CO Bar Solar outside of Flagstaff, Ariz.
This is the second agreement between Clenera, a developer, builder, owner and operator of utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities, and SRP at the CO Bar complex. As a result, SRP, the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, has now procured nearly 800 MW AC – 1,000 MW DC – of power from the project.
“This is not only the largest solar plant in Arizona and one of the largest in the United States, but it will also be the most significant solar resource in SRP’s energy portfolio,” says Jim Pratt, CEO of SRP. “SRP will be quadrupling the amount of utility-scale solar on our power system in just the next two years, with CO Bar Solar as a key part of this.”
CO Bar Solar is a 1.2 GW landmark solar and storage complex being developed by Clenera, a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy, a company devoted to utility-scale renewable energy projects. The project, expected to be one of the largest in the U.S., will occupy up to 2,400 acres on Babbitt Ranches private land in Coconino County. Construction on CO Bar Solar is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. It is expected to reach commercial operation in phases throughout 2025.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with SRP again on CO Bar Solar and providing them with reliable, clean energy,” says Gilad Yavetz, CEO of Enlight. “CO Bar represents a strategic project in Arizona, serving as a prime example of our approach to greenfield development that capitalizes on sizable interconnection positions.”
Over the course of the CO Bar Solar construction timeline, approximately 550 construction jobs will be created, with many being local. Once complete, SRP will receive enough power from this resource to meet the needs of approximately 180,000 average-size homes.
