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Released September 25, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Southern Power, a wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE:SO) (Atlanta, Georgia), last week announced the acquisition of a solar power project that is being developed in Texas. The acquisition will be a move toward Southern Company's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with an interim target of a 50% emissions reduction from 2007 levels by 2030.
Southern Company acquired the Millers Branch solar project in Haskell County, Texas, from EDF Renewables (San Diego, California), part of French energy giant Electricite de France (Paris). The project is in the early phases of development. Construction, which is expected to start next year, entails using more than 470,000 solar panels that will ultimately provide nameplate generating capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). The renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a 20-year virtual power purchase agreement to Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts), which also has a net-zero-by-2050 goal in place. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Southern Company's renewable energy portfolio now consists of 29 solar and 15 wind projects, both operating and under development. The company's Southern Power division sold a 33% minority interest in its solar portfolio, which then included 26 solar projects, to Atlantic Financial Group Limited (Geneva, Switzerland) in 2018. This means Southern has gained three net solar projects since 2018, which doesn't seem to go a long way toward the company's emissions-reduction goals. In fact, most of Southern's larger projects are fossil-based, although a few renewable energy projects make their way into the mix, and indeed, the company's largest project, the addition of units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, will add more than 2,200 MW of emissions-free generation.
Construction on the Vogtle plant units kicked off in 2012 and since that time has gone extremely overtime and overbudget. Unit 3 was placed into commercial operation earlier this summer, and Unit 4 is expected to begin generating early next year. Subscribers can click here for more information.
The company's second-largest project is fossil-based. Southern Company subsidiary Alabama Power is constructing a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle unit addition at its James M. Barry Power Station in Bucks, Alabama. Turnkey contractor Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kansas) kicked off construction in 2021 and is expected to complete the project by the end of this year. The new unit, located about 25 miles north of Mobile, will provide more than 720 MW of generation for southern Alabama. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other fossil-based projects are also set for Alabama. One of these, a coal-to-gas conversion, should help reduce the company's CO2 and other emissions. Alabama Power is in the early planning stages of converting the 884-MW Unit 5 at the Ernest C. Gaston Power Station in Wilsonville, about 35 miles southeast of Birmingham. The project is expected to take place in 2025.
Alabama Power also will perform an uprate to a 516-MW natural gas-fired unit at its power plant in Billingsly, Alabama, which not only will improve the unit's efficiency, but also extend its service life. The project is expected to occur in 2026. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on the Wilsonville and Billingsly projects.
Most of Southern's active renewable energy projects involve the modernization of existing hydropower facilities. The company is underway with or plans to modernize four units each at three hydropower plants in Georgia. Work at two of the plants, the 45-MW Tugalo hydropower station near Clarksville and the 30-MW North Highlands plant near Columbus, began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Work on the third and largest plant, the 60-MW Oliver hydropower station, is expected to kick off next year and be completed in 2028. Subscribers can click here for the related project reports.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Southern Company acquired the Millers Branch solar project in Haskell County, Texas, from EDF Renewables (San Diego, California), part of French energy giant Electricite de France (Paris). The project is in the early phases of development. Construction, which is expected to start next year, entails using more than 470,000 solar panels that will ultimately provide nameplate generating capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). The renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a 20-year virtual power purchase agreement to Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts), which also has a net-zero-by-2050 goal in place. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Southern Company's renewable energy portfolio now consists of 29 solar and 15 wind projects, both operating and under development. The company's Southern Power division sold a 33% minority interest in its solar portfolio, which then included 26 solar projects, to Atlantic Financial Group Limited (Geneva, Switzerland) in 2018. This means Southern has gained three net solar projects since 2018, which doesn't seem to go a long way toward the company's emissions-reduction goals. In fact, most of Southern's larger projects are fossil-based, although a few renewable energy projects make their way into the mix, and indeed, the company's largest project, the addition of units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, will add more than 2,200 MW of emissions-free generation.
Construction on the Vogtle plant units kicked off in 2012 and since that time has gone extremely overtime and overbudget. Unit 3 was placed into commercial operation earlier this summer, and Unit 4 is expected to begin generating early next year. Subscribers can click here for more information.
The company's second-largest project is fossil-based. Southern Company subsidiary Alabama Power is constructing a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle unit addition at its James M. Barry Power Station in Bucks, Alabama. Turnkey contractor Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kansas) kicked off construction in 2021 and is expected to complete the project by the end of this year. The new unit, located about 25 miles north of Mobile, will provide more than 720 MW of generation for southern Alabama. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other fossil-based projects are also set for Alabama. One of these, a coal-to-gas conversion, should help reduce the company's CO2 and other emissions. Alabama Power is in the early planning stages of converting the 884-MW Unit 5 at the Ernest C. Gaston Power Station in Wilsonville, about 35 miles southeast of Birmingham. The project is expected to take place in 2025.
Alabama Power also will perform an uprate to a 516-MW natural gas-fired unit at its power plant in Billingsly, Alabama, which not only will improve the unit's efficiency, but also extend its service life. The project is expected to occur in 2026. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on the Wilsonville and Billingsly projects.
Most of Southern's active renewable energy projects involve the modernization of existing hydropower facilities. The company is underway with or plans to modernize four units each at three hydropower plants in Georgia. Work at two of the plants, the 45-MW Tugalo hydropower station near Clarksville and the 30-MW North Highlands plant near Columbus, began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Work on the third and largest plant, the 60-MW Oliver hydropower station, is expected to kick off next year and be completed in 2028. Subscribers can click here for the related project reports.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
