EDF Renewables inks PPA for 300 MW of solar and 600 MWh of battery energy storage

EDF Renewables North America and Clean Power Alliance signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the Desert Quartzite Solar-plus-Storage project.

The project consists of a 300 MWac solar project coupled with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). It is expected to begin electricity electricity to the Alliance’s customers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in February 2024. The group’s Board of Directors approved the long-term contract during its September meeting.

The Desert Quartzite Solar+Storage Project is in Riverside County, California, on land administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM designated this area as a Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) and Development Focus Area, land set aside for utility-scale renewable energy development. The project will use horizontal single-axis tracking solar PV technology. The module supplier was not named.

(Read “BLM plans rulemaking to encourage renewable energy on public lands.”)

Founded in 2017, Clean Power Alliance is the locally operated electricity provider for 30 cities in southern California. It ranks as the state’s fifth largest electricity provider.

In June, CPA directors approved four contracts for 256.5 MW of renewable energy and 163 MW of storage. The contracts included one geothermal facility and three solar plus storage facilities.

A 15-year contract with Clearway’s Arica solar plus storage project will add 93.5 MW of solar plus 71 MW of storage. CPA will begin receiving power in December 2023, with an expected average annual generation of 284,054 MWh.

The Clearway Daggett 2 solar plus storage project is an extension of a solar plus storage project already under contract with CPA. The 15-year Daggett 2 contract adds 65 MW of solar plus 52 MW of storage. CPA will begin receiving power in September 2023, with an expected average annual generation of 202,432 MWh.

A third contract is with NextEra Energy Resources’ Resurgence Solar I project, located in San Bernardino County, for a 20-year term. The project adds 48 MW of solar plus 40 MW of storage with an expected average annual generation of 144,161 MWh. The Resurgence Solar Project repurposes an aging solar thermal facility. The project is scheduled to begin operations in March 2023.

The fourth contract is with Calpine’s The Geysers geothermal facility, which will add 50 MW of energy and generate 438,000 MWh of energy per year. Under the 15-year contract, the project will begin delivering January 2022. Located north of San Francisco on the border of Sonoma and Lake counties, The Geysers ranks as one of the single largest geothermal electrical operations in the world.