An energy company that’s been turning heads recently is preparing to ask Oregon regulators for clearance to build what would be the biggest solar farm in the state.
NextEra Energy Resources, the renewables arm of NextEra Energy, filed a notice of intent to apply for a site certificate for a 500-megawatt solar project in Morrow County.
NextEra is among a handful of fast-growing renewables-focused companies whose valuations now rival the globe’s oil titans. They’ve been dubbed the “new green energy giants” (Wall Street Journal) or “clean supermajors” (Bloomberg).
The filing with the Energy Facility Siting Council doesn’t guarantee the project will be built soon, or ever. Many proposed projects linger for years, even after they’ve been approved, waiting for market conditions that bring a buyer for the plant or the energy, which in some cases never happens.
But NextEra has a history of success in competitive solicitations, and utilities in the region are stepping up their renewable energy acquisitions. They’re spurred by public policies either in place or expected, demand from big power users, and cold, hard economics that can give solar and wind — often paired with energy storage — an edge over fossil fuels.
NextEra’s Wagon Trail Solar Project, with an unspecified amount of storage, would be located about 30 miles southwest of Hermiston, around and in some cases overlapping the Wheatridge projects that NextEra has been developing.
One of those Wheatridge projects, a 300-megawatt wind farm, began commercial operation this month. NextEra owns a 200-megawatt portion of the wind farm and sells the energy produced from it to Portland General Electric, while PGE has taken ownership of the remaining 100 megawatts. NextEra is also building adjoining solar and energy storage facilities at the site that will serve PGE.
NextEra was also among the companies emerging with wind-power contracts in PacifiCorp’s “Energy Vision 2020” renewable-energy expansion that’s nearing completion.
PacifiCorp is now winnowing bidders in yet another renewables solicitation, and PGE expects to issue its own request for proposals for “non-emitting resources” next year.
The largest operating solar power plant in Oregon is the 56-megawatt Gala Project outside Prineville. It was developed by Avangrid Renewables and the power is sold to Apple.
But Avangrid Renewables, based in Portland, is now developing a 162-megawatt plant in Gilliam County. That project’s energy will be sold to PGE under a 15-year agreement and credited to 17 big PGE customers participating in the utility’s “Green Future Impact” program.
Avangrid Renewables is a subsidiary of Avangrid, which is
majority owned by Iberdrola. Iberdrola, based in Spain, is often lumped in with
NextEra in discussions of the world’s high-flying renewable energy players,
along with Italy-based Enel and Denmark-based Orsted.
