Swift Current Energy announced that its landmark 800 MWdc (593 MWac) Double Black Diamond Solar project is now operational.
The solar power plant, which began construction in 2018, is now the largest operating solar facility east of the Mississippi, adding to the state’s current 5.4 GW of solar that provides about 2.5% of the state’s electricity.
Double Black Diamond will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 100,000 homes annually, and is expected to reduce regional carbon dioxide emissions by approximately one million tons per year.
The developer reports that a majority of the project’s 1.6 million solar modules were manufactured by First Solar in Ohio, and the racking was supplied by U.S.-based Nextracker, with a portion of key components manufactured in Chicago using 100% U.S.-made steel.
During construction, Double Black Diamond Solar created approximately 500 jobs and reached commercial operation with more than 1 million safe person-hours, according to the developer. The project also met the Illinois Clean and Equitable Jobs Act’s (CEJA) labor and diverse hiring standards for renewable energy development.
St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Companies. served as the engineering, procurement and construction provider for the project.
Energy producer Constellation NewEnergy reportedly will purchase a portion of the energy and renewable energy credits to serve customers including Cook County, CVS Health, Loyola University Chicago, PPG, State Farm, and TransUnion. The City of Chicago will source renewable energy from the project to power several energy-intensive facilities, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport.
Last August Swift Current Energy closed on a tax equity investment from Google for the project. The amount of funding by Google was not disclosed, but previous reporting by pv magazine USA stated that over $779 million in project financing was closed for this project, making it among the largest solar project financing in U.S. history. Construction financing for the project was provided by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Societe Generale, Truist, and eight other leading lenders.
Over the life of the project, Double Black Diamond will provide what Swift Current Energy called “substantial tax revenue” to the local project counties, Sangamon and Morgan counties. The developer reports that it will also provide $100 million in community benefits funds to the Sangamon Growth Alliance, Auburn School District, City of Chicago, and Cook County.
Swift Current Energy, a utility-scale developer, was formed in 2016 and acquired in 2021 by a majority stake transaction by Buckeye Partners and Nala Renewables, both of which are backed by IFM Investors, an Australian infrastructure fund manager.
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