EDP Renewables North America, Salt River Project and Meta today unveiled the 200-MW Brittlebush Solar Park located near the town of Coolidge, Arizona.
“Arizona’s forward-thinking policies and welcoming business environment for innovative technologies that prioritize sustainability make it a perfect location to generate solar,” said Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “We’re proud of the partnership with Salt River Project and Meta that has resulted in reducing carbon emissions, local economic benefits and diversifying Arizona’s energy portfolio. This is something every Arizonan can get behind.”
Brittlebush supports SRP’s commitment to responsibly decarbonize its power generation portfolio while providing affordable and reliable energy to one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
“SRP is proud to partner with EDPR NA to bring more clean energy to Arizona and to support Meta’s renewable energy goals,” said Bobby Olsen, SRP chief planning of strategy and sustainability executive. “This project will also move us closer to reaching our own goal to reduce emissions by 82% by 2035 while providing affordable and reliable power to our customers.”
The project’s total capacity will be dedicated to supporting Meta’s data center in Mesa, Arizona. Brittlebush represents the third renewable energy partnership between EDPR NA and Meta. Meta will also receive capacity from two other SRP resources, the 100-MW West Line Solar Facility and the 300-MW solar + battery Eleven Mile Facility. Each of these projects will further enable Meta to reach its 100% renewable and net zero goals.
Brittlebush will support the local economy by providing millions of dollars in payments to local governments throughout its operating life, benefiting schools, health care facilities, fire departments and other county services. Brittlebush created more than 300 construction jobs and will host more than five permanent jobs tied to operations and maintenance of the facility.
“Coolidge has worked hard to create a solar overlay for our community and this partnership between EDPR NA, SRP and Meta will help strengthen our economy while providing local economic benefits and reducing emissions,” said Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller. “With more solar energy entering our community, Coolidge will continue to receive economic benefits and be recognized as a leader in renewable energy development in Arizona.”
Through its Integrated System Plan, SRP found it will need to at least double the number of generating resources on its power system in the next 10 years to meet increasing energy demand in the Phoenix metropolitan area as it moves forward with the planned retirement of 1,300 MW of coal resources.
News item from EDP Renewables North America
