Pine Gate plans 2026 construction start for largest proposed US solar + storage project
The giant 1.2GW array in the western state of Oregon will have up to 7.2GWh of onsite storage capability for six hours
Developer Pine Gate Renewables anticipates 2026 start of phased construction for Sunstone Solar in the western US state of Oregon, the country’s largest proposed solar + storage project.
To obtain a site certificate, a proposed energy facility must undergo a thorough review and meet the Council’s siting standards. These cover a range of issues such as land use, environmental impacts, noise concerns, and cultural and archeological artifacts.
Sasser said Sunstone will utilise the federal investment tax credit (ITC). The base ITC amount is 6%, with the tax credit rate increased to 30% for facilities that pay prevailing wages and meet registered apprenticeship requirements. A project is eligible for a bonus adder up to 10 percentage points if it meets certain domestic content criteria.
When asked about project cost, she said this will depend on a “variety of factors including final project design and future costs, but we estimate it will be well over a billion dollars.”
Sunstone will be built in stages. Presently, there is not a firm commercial operation date for the entire project. Pine Gate, which also owns the project, is based in Asheville, North Carolina.
Pine Gate is in talks with potential customers and local utilities to purchase the project’s electricity and environmental attributes. Sunstone will interconnect with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) via the Umatilla Electric Cooperative system.
BPA, formed in 1937, is a US agency that is the marketing agent for bulk electric power from all federally owned hydroelectric projects in the Pacific Northwest. Part of the Department of Energy, it transmits and sells power in eight western states to a range of customers including industry and utilities.
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