A $1 billion solar + battery storage project just broke ground in Utah

Renewables developer rPlus Energies has broken ground on one of the largest solar + battery storage projects in the US, in east-central Utah.

The Green River Energy Center in Emery County, Utah, is a 400-megawatt (MW) solar and 400 MW/1,600-megawatt-hour battery storage project that will supply power to western electric utility PacifiCorp under a power purchase agreement.

EliTe Solar is supplying solar panels, and Tesla is providing battery storage. Sundt Construction is the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the project.

Securing over $1 billion in construction debt financing in July, the Green River project is expected to create around 500 jobs. Salt Lake City-based rPlus Energies gives the target completion date as 2026.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), as of Q2 2024, Utah has nearly 3.5 GW of solar installed. It forecasts another 6.1 GW will be installed in the state over the next five years, moving it from 13th to 11th for national ranking.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2023, 46% of Utah’s electricity net generation came from coal-fired power plants, down from 75% in 2015.

Read more: The US government opens up more federal lands for solar – to 31 million acres

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