The Brittlebush Solar Park will help SRP and Meta meet ambitious sustainability and renewable energy goals.
Coolidge, Arizona,, July 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), a leading renewable energy developer and a top five renewable energy owner and operator in the United States, Salt River Project (SRP) and Meta today unveiled the 200 megawatt (MW) Brittlebush Solar Park (Brittlebush) located near the town of Coolidge, AZ.
“Arizona’s forward-thinking policies and welcoming business environment for innovative technologies that prioritize sustainability make it a perfect location to generate solar,” noted Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “We’re proud of the partnership with Salt River Project and Meta that has resulted in reducing carbon emissions, local economic benefits, and diversifying Arizona’s energy portfolio. This is something every Arizonan can get behind.”
Brittlebush supports SRP’s commitment to responsibly decarbonize its power generation portfolio while providing affordable and reliable energy to one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
“SRP is proud to partner with EDPR NA to bring more clean energy to Arizona and to support Meta’s renewable energy goals,” added Bobby Olsen, SRP Chief Planning, Strategy and Sustainability Executive. “This project will also move us closer to reaching our own goal to reduce emissions by 82 percent by 2035 while providing affordable and reliable power to our customers.”
The project's total capacity will be dedicated to supporting Meta's data center in Mesa, AZ. Brittlebush represents the third renewable energy partnership between EDPR NA and Meta. Meta will also receive capacity from two other SRP resources, the 100-MW West Line Solar Facility and the 300-MW solar plus battery Eleven Mile Facility. Each of these projects will further enable Meta to reach its 100% renewable and net zero goals.
Brittlebush will support the local economy by providing millions of dollars in payments to local governments throughout its operating life, benefiting schools, health care facilities, fire departments, and other county services. Brittlebush created more than 300 construction jobs and will host more than five permanent jobs tied to operations and maintenance of the facility.
“Coolidge has worked hard to create a solar overlay for our community and this partnership between EDPR NA, SRP, and Meta will help strengthen our economy while providing local economic benefits and reducing emissions,” said Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller. “With more solar energy entering our community, Coolidge will continue to receive economic benefits and be recognized as a leader in renewable energy development in Arizona.”
Brittlebush is EDPR NA's second operational project in Arizona, building upon EDPR NA’s deep relationships with local land development partners in Arizona, including Saint Holdings, resulting in a total portfolio of 358 MW of solar assets throughout the state.
“For Saint Holdings, it is a tremendous honor to have played a part in EDPR NA’s Brittlebush Solar Park,” stated Jackob Anderson, CEO of Saint Holdings. “This world-class renewable energy project exemplifies our commitment to fostering sustainable growth and powering Arizona's thriving economy. Together, we are driving forward the future of clean energy in our state.”
In addition to Brittlebush, EDPR NA is currently developing its 96 MW Table Top Solar Park, formerly known as Casa Grande Carmel Solar Park, and operates the 158 MW Sun Streams Solar Park, both of which have created a combined 400 construction jobs and 10 permanent operations and maintenance positions.
Through its Integrated System Plan, SRP found it will need to at least double the number of generating resources on its power system in the next 10 years to meet increasing energy demand in the Phoenix metropolitan area as it moves forward with the planned retirement of 1,300 MW of coal resources.
More than 2,500 MW of carbon-free energy resources, including over 1,200 MW of solar, and nearly 1,300 MW of battery and pumped hydro storage are currently serving SRP customers. SRP also has significantly more solar energy capacity under development and over 1,100 MW of additional battery storage resources will be online by the end of 2024.
EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 61 wind farms, 17 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 11,000 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 10,000 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent.
EDP Renewables (EDPR) is a global leader in renewable energy development with a presence in four regions including Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. We have a sound development portfolio of top-level assets and market-leading operating capacity in renewable energies.
Our business encompasses onshore wind, distributed and large-scale solar, offshore wind (through a 50/50 joint venture - Ocean Winds) and complementary technologies to renewables, such as hybridization, storage and green hydrogen.
With 16.5GW deployed across multiple technologies and a €12 billion investment plan up to 2026, we are committed to driving social progress with a particular focus on sustainability and integration. Our employee-centered policies have earnt EDPR a listing in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and led to recognition as Top Employer 2024 across Europe, Singapore, Brazil, Colombia and Chile.
EDPR is a division of EDP, a global leader in renewables and the energy transition with over 13000 employees worldwide. The group is committed to becoming coal free by 2025 and all-green by 2030, a global ambition that reflects EDP’s role and accelerates its sustainable growth over the longer term. In addition to strong renewable assets, EDP also operates across the globe in electricity networks, client solutions and energy management. The group is acknowledged as the most sustainable electricity company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.