Masdar reaches first close on 1.6 GW US portfolio deal with EDF

Masdar has achieved the first closing on the acquisition of 50 percent of a 1.6 gigawatt (GW) clean-energy portfolio of projects in the United States from EDF Renewables North America.

Masdar and EDF Renewables North America announced in 2020 that they had agreed to partner in eight renewable energy projects, including three utility-scale wind projects in Nebraska and Texas totaling 815 megawatts (MW), and five photovoltaic (PV) solar projects in California totaling 689 MW – two of which include lithium-ion battery energy storage systems representing 75 MW.

All three wind projects are currently in the final stage of construction and expected to begin commercial operations in the first quarter of this year. The 243 MW Coyote wind project is located in Scurry County, Texas; the 273 MW Las Majadas wind project is in Willacy County, Texas; and the 300 MW Milligan 1 wind project is in Saline County, Nebraska.

Of the five projects in California, four started commercial operations in December 2020, all located in Riverside County. These include the Desert Harvest 1 and Desert Harvest 2 PV projects, which total 213MWdc of solar, and the Maverick 1 and Maverick 4 PV projects which total 309 MWdc. The final project in California is Big Beau, a 128 MWdc solar PV and 40 MW/160 MWh battery energy storage system, which is in Kern County and will reach commercial operation in December 2021.

Power from the diversified portfolio projects will be sold under long-term contracts to a variety of off-takers, including utilities, hedge providers and community choice aggregators (CCAs).

In total, the eight projects have created more than 2,000 jobs in the country’s clean energy sector, and will displace more than 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.