Green light for largest solar + storage project in U.S., featuring 7.2 GWh battery

Solar developer Pine Gate Renewables announced it has received final discretionary approval from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, marking the final step in an evaluation and public engagement process. The company is now authorized to proceed with SunStone Solar, which would rank as the largest solar project once completed.

The project, located in eastern Oregon, is a proposed 1.2 GW solar and 1.2 GW, 7.2 GWh energy storage facility. For context, the entire state of Oregon has 1.9 GW of cumulative solar installations in its history, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Suntone Solar will also entail the construction of an interconnection substation, six collector substations, four operations and maintenance buildings, up to 9.5 miles of 230 kV overhead transmission lines, and other structures including roads, perimeter fencing and gates. The project will interconnect to the Bonneville Power Administration via the Umatilla Electric Cooperative system.

The facility is authorized to occupy up to approximately 9,442 acres of private land zoned for Exclusive Farm Use in Morrow County, Oregon.

“As a lifelong resident of Morrow County, I’m excited for Sunstone Solar to move forward so the local community can benefit from the economic opportunities that the project will bring,” said Ken Grieb, a wheat farmer and landowner in the project. “Pine Gate has demonstrated how large energy facility development can be done thoughtfully and collaboratively.”

Documentation on the approval process and environmental impact studies can be found here.

“Oregon’s energy facility permitting process is one of the most rigorous in the entire country,” said Ben Catt, chief executive officer, Pine Gate Renewables. “The recent unanimous permit approval is a testament to the way our team worked with stakeholders to provide a win-win for Oregon and the Morrow County community.”

Pine Gate said it is in discussion with customers and local utilities to purchase the electricity and associated environmental credits of the project. The company expects the engineering and procurement process to begin in early 2025 with phased construction starting in 2026. Pine Gate Renewables owns and operates 17 other solar projects in Oregon. The company acquired the Sunstone Solar project from Gallatin Power Partners in 2022.

SEIA reports that Oregon sources about 4% of its electricity from solar, enough to power roughly 250,000 homes. About 4,000 people are employed the state’s solar industry.

From pv magazine US