PGE, Avangrid sign PPA for 162 MW solar project in Gilliam County

Portland General Electric (PGE) and Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. have signed an agreement to purchase power from a new 162 megawatt solar generation facility – the largest in Oregon – to be developed and built in eastern Oregon. The new facility will supply power and the accompanying renewable energy credits to PGE's Green Future Impact customers, helping them source up to 100% of their energy from a local renewable energy resource that they've helped make possible.

Avangrid Renewables will develop and own the project, which Green Future Impact customers will participate in naming. PGE will purchase the facility's entire output for 15 years, increasing the amount of clean energy in PGE's system and creating a tangible connection between participating customers and their energy resources.

The new solar facility will be built on 1,200 privately owned acres in Gilliam County. Construction is expected to begin in late 2020 or early 2021. At its peak, construction will generate approximately 300 jobs in partnership with local unions. When the facility begins operating in late 2021, it will produce enough power to serve the equivalent of about 40,000 homes and will generate an estimated US$1.3 million of taxes and property owner lease payments each year, benefitting the local economy for years to come.