Lightsource BP commissions 20 MW Johnson Corner solar project in Stanton County

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and Lightsource BP have announced that the Johnson Corner Solar Project entered commercial operation. The US$37 million project, which was financed and constructed by Lightsource BP, is located approximately two miles southwest of Johnson City in Stanton County, Kansas.

Lightsource BP is the project owner and operator. All the energy from the project is being sold under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to Sunflower, a not-for-profit electric utility providing wholesale generation and transmission services to six member-owners serving in central and western Kansas. The National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) played a key role in helping Sunflower develop this important project for the public power community.

The project delivers 20 megawatts (AC) of clean and affordable on-peak electricity – enough to power the peak demand of over 4,900 homes across Sunflower’s service territory and more than doubling the state’s utility-scale solar capacity, previously at 14.1 megawatts. In addition to providing low-cost, on-peak energy, the Johnson Corner Solar Project will reduce loading on a nearby transmission line that is approaching capacity. As a result, Sunflower’s members will save costs by deferring or ultimately canceling the requirement for expensive infrastructure upgrades.