On the heels of announcing signed agreements for three new solar power plants in Arizona, SRP announced Wednesday its largest standalone solar power plant to soon be under development northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona. The solar plant, “CO Bar Solar,” is scheduled to be commercially operational in 2024 and will deliver a total of 400 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to SRP customers. Clēnera, a developer of large-scale solar and storage projects, and a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy LTD (TASE: ENLT), will construct and operate CO Bar Solar.
This development is one of many projects that support SRP in its long-term decarbonization goals. It will also help SRP meet its expanded commitment to add 2,025MW of new utility-scale solar resources by 2025.
“SRP is pleased to partner with Clēnera to add this substantial solar resource as part of our diversified energy mix and power generation strategy to meet the Valley’s growing electricity needs,” said Mike Hummel, SRP General Manager and CEO. “The CO Bar power plant is an incredible clean energy resource that will support SRP customers and help us take a significant step toward our decarbonization goals.”
CO Bar Solar will occupy up to 2,400 acres of private land in Coconino County and construction is expected to begin in 2023. Over the course of the 18-month construction timeline, it is expected that approximately 550 construction jobs will be created, with many being local. Once complete, CO Bar Solar will generate enough power to meet the needs of 80,000 homes while offsetting 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Clēnera’s Vice President of Business Development, Jared McKee, said of the partnership: “We are excited to be working with SRP to develop one of the largest solar projects in Arizona. Clēnera has historically paved the way for renewable energy in the state, and CO Bar Solar is yet another example of progress being made in Arizona’s clean energy sector. We thank SRP for their partnership to make this opportunity possible.”
Including this addition and others, SRP expects that nearly 50 percent of the retail energy it delivers to customers will come from carbon-free resources by 2025. These new renewable energy resources contribute to SRP’s 2035 goals to reduce carbon intensity by 65 percent in 2035 and by 90 percent in 2050 from 2005 levels.
