USA’s CPS Energy Purchases 180 MW Of Solar Power from KARE

The US-based electric and natural gas utility, CPS Energy, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Kenlov Ashtrom Renewable Energy (KARE) for the purchase of 180 MW of solar energy. KARE is a Texas-based Independent Power Producer focused on the development, construction and long-term management of utility scale solar facilities in the US market.

The official statement of CPS Energy held that the solar project will be developed and by KARE’s US development partner, OnPeak Power and it will provide CPS Energy with 180 MW of the full 305 MW from the Tierra Bonita solar farm once completed. It is said that Tierra Bonita will be located in West Texas in Pecos County. As the second agreement tied to its FlexPOWER Bundle initiative, the KARE contract is part of the utility’s goal to add up to 900 MW of clean, sustainable solar energy to its power generation mix. The agreement for the first 300 MW was signed in May 2022 with Consolidated Edison Development.

Rudy D. Garza, President & CEO, CPS Energy, held, “I am extremely proud of the work the CPS Energy team has done to secure another 180 MW of solar for our growing community. This is an extremely critical step as we look ahead to how we’re going to power our Greater San Antonio community for the future and prepare to replace aging plants.”

Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio, said, “This represents a considerable achievement toward decarbonizing our power generation portfolio and advances our commitment to increase the quantity of clean, reliable solar energy in San Antonio.”

The KARE agreement is a 20-year contract with construction anticipated to begin next year. “We are excited to partner with CPS Energy and start construction on the Tierra Bonita project in early 2023,” said Yitsik Marmelshtein, CEO of Ashtrom Renewable Energy. Similar views were expressed by Yossi Gvura, CEO of Kenlov Renewable Energy.

Ingmar Sterzing, Managing Partner with OnPeak Power, stated, “The FlexPower Bundle has been a great process for helping CPS Energy obtain competitive solutions to meet their growing and evolving energy needs.”

CPS Energy said that the FlexPOWER Bundle Initiative aims to further diversify the company’s power generation mix, adding up to 900 MW of solar, up to 50 MW of energy storage and up to 500 MW of firming capacity.

Launched in November 2020, a request for proposals for the FlexPOWER Bundle resulted in over 650 proposals from 100 companies across the U.S. and ten other nations, including Japan, England and South Korea. CPS Energy expects to finalize and award additional FlexPOWER Bundle contracts within the next few months.