Avangrid announced it has completed installing more than 250,000 U.S.-made solar panels at the Tower Solar project in Morrow County, Oregon.
The modules were assembled by SEG Solar at its new Houston, Texas manufacturing facility.
Tower Solar spans about 900 acres of industrially zoned land; construction of the project created approximately 200 jobs that were mostly filled with regional union labor. Project organizers plan to pay about $20 million in combined PILOTS (payment in lieu of taxes) and property taxes, which will go toward local public services.
“This is a major milestone for Tower Solar and demonstrates how investment in America’s energy infrastructure drives economic growth nationwide,” said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid CEO, in a statement. “Assembling modules in Texas supported U.S. jobs and manufacturing, project construction is building the local workforce, and once complete, operations will reinforce the region’s grid with new power to support growing demand.”
The 166 MWdc (120 MWac) project will supply power to the Portland General Electric (PGE) grid and support a new QTS data center campus. Energy sent to PGE will go through Green Future Impact (GFI), a voluntary program that helps large municipal, commercial, and industrial customers meet their sustainability and carbon reduction goals through the development of new clean energy facilities in the region.
PGE’s GFI program allows large customers to choose non-emitting energy without increasing costs for other customers.
Jim Wood, Chief Executive Officer of SEG Solar, added, “SEG Solar is proud to support Avangrid’s Tower Solar project by supplying high-quality modules manufactured at our Houston facility. This project reflects our continued commitment to product quality, manufacturing excellence, and building strong partnerships across the U.S. market.”
Avangrid continues to work on other aspects of the project ahead of its scheduled commercial operation date later this year.
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