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Released July 29, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Two renewable energy developers were greeted with good news earlier this month when they were awarded key permits for important solar projects in their development areas. DP Energy (Buttevant, Ireland) got the go-ahead from the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct a 325-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and Xcel Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) received unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to build a third solar farm near the site of a retiring coal-fired plant in the state.
DP Energy & Alberta
DP Energy claims that the Saamis Solar Project in Medicine Hat will be North America's largest urban solar project, so the company was glad to get permission to move ahead with the project last week. The project, entirely within Medicine Hat's city limits, is being built on a 1,600-acre site, nearly half of which sits atop capped phosphogypsum stacks, a contaminated material that is as byproduct of fertilizer production from a plant closed in 2016.
The 325-MW facility will be equipped with more than 600,000 solar panels. The solar farm will help Alberta meet its goal of sourcing 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The Alberta Utilities Commission's approval includes an in-service date of late February 2027. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
The project isn't the only one on the books intended for Alberta to help reach its renewable energy goals. Industrial Info is tracking more than $24 billion worth of renewable power projects in the province, although some of these will probably be canceled or put on hold. Alberta shows a healthy mix of wind and solar projects, although solar accounts for more projects and spending.
Other solar farms planned for the province include Westbridge Renewable Energy Corporation's (Vancouver, British Columbia) planned facility near Sunnynook, about 125 miles from Calgary. The project calls for more than 510,000 solar panels to be situated across 1,220 acres to supply the Alberta grid with 270 MW. The project is expected to kick off early next year, putting it on track for completion in 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Several windfarms also are being constructed in Alberta. Among the largest underway is Phase I of Acciona SA's (Alcobendas, Spain) Forty Mile wind project near Seven Persons, not far from Medicine Hat in the southeast of the province. Engineering, procurement and construction firm Renewable Energy Systems Canada (Montreal, Quebec) is erecting 49 Nordex turbines, each rated at 5.7 MW, to provide total power of about 279 MW at full operation. Construction on the project began about a year ago and is expected to be completed in early 2025. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
Xcel & Minnesota
Like Alberta, Minnesota enjoys a healthy mix of wind and solar projects, with solar taking a slight lead in activity. Industrial Info is tracking more than $8.6 billion of renewable power projects in the state, including wind, solar and hydropower. The latest renewable facility to gain the state's approval is part of a larger solar development intended to displace power lost from the retiring Sherburne County (Sherco) coal-fired power station. Unit 2 of the plant was shut down on the last day of 2023, while plans call for Unit 1's retirement in 2026, followed by the third and final unit in 2030.
Xcel already is underway with construction of 460 MW of solar power at the site, and the Minnesota PUC's newest project approval means Xcel can add another 250 MW of solar power in the area. Construction of Sherco Solar 3 is set to begin this fall, and the development is expected to go online in 2026.
EPC company Blattner Energy Incorporated (Avon, Minnesota) already is underway with construction of the East and West blocks of the solar complex, each of which will have 230 MW of generating capacity. The West Block is expected to begin generating later this year, followed by the East Block in 2025, putting both segments online by the time Unit 1 is retired.
When Sherco Solar 3 is completed, the entire Sherco solar complex will have a generating capacity of 710 MW, a sizable amount for a solar facility, but a fraction of the more than 2,200 MW all three coal-fired units could produce. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Other solar facilities presently under construction in Minnesota are for smaller developments, such as National Grid plc's (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) 45-MW plant in Fillmore County solar farm and its 50-MW Louise project in Mower County. (See project reports.)
Industrial Info is not tracking any wind projects currently under construction in Minnesota, but several large wind facilities are planned. Among these is NextEra Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) planned facility in Dodge County. Plans call for the project to break ground next year, when the first of 77 General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) turbines, each rated between 2.5 and 3.4 MW, will be installed. When completed later in 2025, the facility will provide aggregate generation of 252 MW. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI 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).
DP Energy & Alberta
DP Energy claims that the Saamis Solar Project in Medicine Hat will be North America's largest urban solar project, so the company was glad to get permission to move ahead with the project last week. The project, entirely within Medicine Hat's city limits, is being built on a 1,600-acre site, nearly half of which sits atop capped phosphogypsum stacks, a contaminated material that is as byproduct of fertilizer production from a plant closed in 2016.
The 325-MW facility will be equipped with more than 600,000 solar panels. The solar farm will help Alberta meet its goal of sourcing 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The Alberta Utilities Commission's approval includes an in-service date of late February 2027. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
The project isn't the only one on the books intended for Alberta to help reach its renewable energy goals. Industrial Info is tracking more than $24 billion worth of renewable power projects in the province, although some of these will probably be canceled or put on hold. Alberta shows a healthy mix of wind and solar projects, although solar accounts for more projects and spending.
Other solar farms planned for the province include Westbridge Renewable Energy Corporation's (Vancouver, British Columbia) planned facility near Sunnynook, about 125 miles from Calgary. The project calls for more than 510,000 solar panels to be situated across 1,220 acres to supply the Alberta grid with 270 MW. The project is expected to kick off early next year, putting it on track for completion in 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Several windfarms also are being constructed in Alberta. Among the largest underway is Phase I of Acciona SA's (Alcobendas, Spain) Forty Mile wind project near Seven Persons, not far from Medicine Hat in the southeast of the province. Engineering, procurement and construction firm Renewable Energy Systems Canada (Montreal, Quebec) is erecting 49 Nordex turbines, each rated at 5.7 MW, to provide total power of about 279 MW at full operation. Construction on the project began about a year ago and is expected to be completed in early 2025. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
Xcel & Minnesota
Like Alberta, Minnesota enjoys a healthy mix of wind and solar projects, with solar taking a slight lead in activity. Industrial Info is tracking more than $8.6 billion of renewable power projects in the state, including wind, solar and hydropower. The latest renewable facility to gain the state's approval is part of a larger solar development intended to displace power lost from the retiring Sherburne County (Sherco) coal-fired power station. Unit 2 of the plant was shut down on the last day of 2023, while plans call for Unit 1's retirement in 2026, followed by the third and final unit in 2030.
Xcel already is underway with construction of 460 MW of solar power at the site, and the Minnesota PUC's newest project approval means Xcel can add another 250 MW of solar power in the area. Construction of Sherco Solar 3 is set to begin this fall, and the development is expected to go online in 2026.
EPC company Blattner Energy Incorporated (Avon, Minnesota) already is underway with construction of the East and West blocks of the solar complex, each of which will have 230 MW of generating capacity. The West Block is expected to begin generating later this year, followed by the East Block in 2025, putting both segments online by the time Unit 1 is retired.
When Sherco Solar 3 is completed, the entire Sherco solar complex will have a generating capacity of 710 MW, a sizable amount for a solar facility, but a fraction of the more than 2,200 MW all three coal-fired units could produce. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Other solar facilities presently under construction in Minnesota are for smaller developments, such as National Grid plc's (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) 45-MW plant in Fillmore County solar farm and its 50-MW Louise project in Mower County. (See project reports.)
Industrial Info is not tracking any wind projects currently under construction in Minnesota, but several large wind facilities are planned. Among these is NextEra Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) planned facility in Dodge County. Plans call for the project to break ground next year, when the first of 77 General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) turbines, each rated between 2.5 and 3.4 MW, will be installed. When completed later in 2025, the facility will provide aggregate generation of 252 MW. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI 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).
