AVANGRID has announced today that it has achieved commercial operation at its 150-Megawatt (MW) Lund Hill solar farm in Klickitat County, Washington, the state’s largest photovoltaic plant. The facility will supply Puget Sound Energy’s Green Direct program, which allows large commercial and governmental participants the ability to purchase 100 percent of their energy from dedicated, local renewable energy resources.
“It’s exciting to see utility-scale renewable energy generation come online, and with our efforts this upcoming session, this should be the first of many clean energy projects that bring good-paying jobs and affordable, zero-emission energy to Washingtonians,” said Governor Jay Inslee.
“Lund Hill represents a major milestone for us at AVANGRID and is proof of our commitment with accelerating the energy transition in the U.S.,” said Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID’s CEO. “We are pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy to help it meet its ambitious goals to reduce emissions and provide clean, reliable power to its customers.”
“We’re excited to see AVANGRID’s Lund Hill project go into full operation as we start to receive clean energy from the largest solar project in Washington state,” said Mary Kipp, PSE president and CEO. “This project will help our Green Direct customers meet their clean energy goals as we work together to create a cleaner energy future for all.”
AVANGRID’s facility will supply the solar for PSE’s second round offering of their Green Direct program, for which more than 40 customers have already signed up, among them six Washington state government agencies, including the Departments of Health, Ecology, and Transportation (WSDOT), among others. The initiative allows participants the ability to purchase 100 percent of their energy from dedicated, local, renewable energy resources.
Lund Hill is located on approximately 1,800 acres, a mix of land leased from private landowners and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the state’s first solar power land lease.
By adding more renewables to PSE’s portfolio, Green Direct also furthers PSE’s deep decarbonization goals and move toward 100 percent clean energy by 2045, as called for in Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act.
