Platte River Power Authority and Colorado-based juwi solar (juwi) have signed an agreement to build a 22 megawatt (MW) solar energy facility near Wellington, Colorado. The project may be expanded to up to 30 MW depending on final site design considerations.
The 185-acre site selected for the project is part of Platte River’s Rawhide Energy Station property north of Wellington, Colorado. juwi will be responsible for developing, designing, building and operating the facility. The design phase will begin in early summer of this year, shortly followed by construction and final completion of the project tentatively scheduled for late summer 2016. The facility will provide energy equivalent to the average annual use of over 7,000 homes in the communities Platte River serves.
“We are committed to building a diverse generation portfolio that includes renewable energy technologies,” said Jackie Sargent, Platte River Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. “We are excited to add solar to our complement of coal, hydro, wind and gas. Multiple generation sources increase reliability, aid compliance, and reduce the risk of price volatility associated with any one source.”
"We are thrilled to be building our first utility-scale solar energy facility in our home state of Colorado, said Michael Martin, President and Chief Executive Officer of juwi. “Working with Platte River was especially enjoyable, given that it ran a competitive yet thoughtful solicitation process, which in turn will result in cost-effective energy for its constituents in the Front Range.”