rPlus Energies Begins Construction of 200 MW Appaloosa Solar 1 Project in Utah

Salt Lake City based renewable energy developer rPlus Energies has said that it has commenced construction of the 200 MWac/240 MWdc Appaloosa Solar 1 project which is located in Iron County, Utah. To celebrate the commencement of Appaloosa Solar 1, rPlus Energies, Sundt Construction and Greenbacker hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on the project site.

The official statement of rPlus Energies holds that the project is the largest in Utah to reach this milestone as the neighbouring Appaloosa Solar 1 is the 80 MWac/110 MWdc Three Peaks Solar project. Completed in 2016, Three Peaks Solar was the second utility-scale solar project developed in Utah. rPlus had also recently developed, built, and commissioned the 80 MWac Graphite Solar project in Carbon County in Utah.

Luigi Resta, President & CEO, rPlus Energies, said, “We are proud to be back in Iron County with a third project, the largest to date. Iron County has been a fantastic, supportive community and we are happy to continue our approach to build in Utah, by Utah and for Utah with this project.”

rPlus Energies also said that Greenbacker Capital Management, a renewable energy asset manager, has invested in Appaloosa Solar 1. This also represents the latest collaboration between a Greenbacker affiliate and rPlus Energies.

Ben Tillar, VP of Investments at Greenbacker, stated, “Building durable partnerships is critical to building the future of energy, and we at Greenbacker are incredibly pleased to continue our partnership with rPlus. We’re excited to contribute to utility-scale solar plants like Appaloosa, which will support green jobs and help Utah run on cost-effective renewable power.”

Sundt Construction is providing engineering, procurement, and construction for Appaloosa Solar 1. The rPlus Energies team will remain involved with construction management and community relations. The renewable energy company said that the project provide 250 construction related jobs. Sundt Construction has consideratble experience in Utah including the rPlus-developed Graphite Solar Project in Carbon County completed in June 2022.

rPlus Energies said that Appaloosa Solar 1 project also has two long-term PPAs in place with PacifiCorp on behalf of Meta. USA’s SEIA has decided to offset power sector emissions by 35 per cent by the end of this decade with an investment of $345 billion.