Lightsource BP reaches Sun Mountain peak in switch-on of major US solar array for Xcel

Giant 293MW PV project joins similar-size Bighorn plant in supplying Minneapolis-headquartered utility following 'cumulative half billion-dollar private investment' in state

BP solar power spin-out Lightsource BP has brought the giant Sun Mountain PV project in the US state of Colorado online, a second utility-scale array build as part of power purchase deal with developer Xcel Energy.

Lightsource BP financed as will own and operate the 293MW plant, near the city of Pueblo, with generation supplying 53,000 homes, and abating over 400,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year.

“As long-term members of the Pueblo community, we look forward to delivering affordable clean energy for decades while continuing to expand our investment in Colorado to help power the state’s low carbon future,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of Lightsource BP Americas.

Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy Colorado, said: “This collaboration benefits the community, the state and all our customers by bringing more clean, low-cost energy to our system, while meeting our commitment to our communities as we lead the clean energy transition.”

At Sun Mountain and the neighbouring 300MW Bighorn solar projects, also built to supply Xcel – and currently being used to part-power a steel mill run by Evraz, Lightsource BP is conserving in total over 3,000 acres of shortgrass prairie, creating habitat for wildlife “while bolstering the sites’ ability to sequester carbon”.

More than 400 people worked on-site to build the Sun Mountain plant, 200 of which were hired from the local community, according to Lightsource BP.

McCarthy Building was brought in as EPC (engineer, procure, and construct) contractor for the project, which included installation of almost 640,000 ultra-low carbon PV panels produced by Arizona-based First Solar and trackers manufactured by New Mexico’s Array Technologies.

The two utility-scale PV arrays arose out of Xcel’s 2018 development strategy, which the company said had resulted in “a cumulative half billion-dollar private investment” in the state’s clean power infrastructure.

Colorado’s energy plan is targeting having 80% power demand being met by renewables and state carbon emissions reduced by 85% by 2030.