“RWE is driving the expansion of renewable energy on four continents. The PPA with Georgia Power is just one example of RWE’s strong focus on the U.S. market. As of now we have 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity in the U.S. plus an additional 1.4 GW onshore wind and photovoltaic under construction. With a development pipeline of more than 10 GW our strategy for renewables in the U.S. is geared to grow. The Broken Spoke Solar plant will mark our first solar facility in Georgia and our largest solar project in the U.S. to date.”
Silvia Ortin, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables
Photovoltaics within the U.S. division of RWE Renewables is picking up speed: The company announced today it entered into a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Georgia Power Company. RWE Renewables is a subsidiary of Germany-based RWE group.
Under the terms of the agreement, RWE’s Broken Spoke Solar project, a 195.5-megawatt (MW) facility coupled with a 40 MW 2-hour battery energy storage device, will begin supplying power in late 2021.
“We’re pleased to finalize this agreement with a company like Georgia Power, who has demonstrated a commitment to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to its customers,” said Silvia Ortin, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables.
Georgia Power, the largest electric subsidiary of the Southern Company, is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is an investor-owned public utility that serves more than 2.6 million customers.
RWE’s solar power plant is located in Mitchell County, in the southwest corner of the state of Georgia. The finished solar power plant will interconnect more than 650,000 solar panels, which together will cover an area of about 1,575 acres.
“Broken Spoke Solar will include a 40 MW 2-hour Energy Storage System, enabling firm delivery of energy from the facility ,” said Christoph Hunfeld, Head of Asset Commercialization North America. “This integrated solar plus storage facility will increase energy delivery during peak demand times and simplify integration of locally produced energy into the Georgia Power grid.”
The PPA shows RWE’s strong growth ambition. in the renewables business. As one of the largest players worldwide RWE will provide an annual €1.5 billion (more than $1.6 billion) in net capital expenditure. Project partnerships have the potential to increase total investment to between €2 and €3 billion per annum. For more information, go to www.rwe.com/usa.