enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company (PARIS:EEN) and Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) have entered into two power purchase agreements for solar photovoltaic installations to be located in the Willamette Valley near Salem, Oregon. The two installations will combine for a total of 2.84 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity providing power for approximately 2,300 homes at peak production.
enXco will develop, build, and own the solar projects consisting of thin
film technology, while PGE will purchase the power generated under a
25-year power purchase agreement. The projects are expected to commence
construction in early 2011 and reach commercial operation in July 2011.
enXco Service Corporation will operate and maintain the projects.
“These projects represent the largest ground-mounted solar PV installations in the Pacific Northwest as well as the first solar development for enXco in the region. We are pleased to be working with PGE and Energy Trust of Oregon to bring them to fruition,” Troy Gagliano, project developer with enXco said.
Both sites are located in the south eastern portion of Yamhill County. The Bellevue Solar Project site will comprise 1.69 MW of capacity and the Yamhill Solar Project site will produce 1.15 MW. The projects will connect to the existing PGE utility system, which provides power for 822,000 customers in 52 Oregon cities within a 4,000 square mile service territory.
With these new projects, PGE will have more than 17 MW of solar capacity in its resource mix, helping the utility meet the state’s renewable energy standard of providing 25% renewable energy by the year 2025. This will also help achieve the state’s solar photovoltaic generating capacity standard, which calls for investor-owned utilities in Oregon to have a combined total of at least 20 MW of large-scale solar projects online by 2020. PGE expects approximately 9% of its resource mix will come from renewable energy sources in 2010.
The two projects received approval from the Yamhill County Planning Commission in September 2010.
