Renewable energy power producer Terra-Gen officially launched the “largest solar+storage project” in the United States earlier this month, marking a significant development in the country’s shift to more sustainable power generation.
“Now fully operational, this facility is a transformational project in the industry and is providing resiliency to the grid. The Mortenson team was tasked with an extremely difficult goal to build this project, and they proved to be the right partner for the job. We are excited to bring Edwards & Sanborn online and benefitting the people of California.”
Brian Gorda, Terra-Gen’s Vice President of Engineering
Project development and completion
According to the press release, project owner and operator Terra-Gen and its EPC contractor Mortenson officially completed the construction of the Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage project on January 19, 2024.
They started the site construction in the first quarter of 2021, with a completion target of 2023.
“Mortenson is honored to help Terra-Gen deliver the Edwards & Sanborn project and provide the region with clean, resilient power. I’m proud of the world-class facility our team designed, built and commissioned for Terra-Gen.”
Mark Donahue, Mortenson Senior Vice President
Terra-Gen and Mortenson erected a project in Kern County, California, covering 4,660 total acres of sustainable energy production. Notably, it uses both private and public land owned by Edwards Air Force Base, signifying the US Air Force’s largest public-private partnership.
“Only in America can we take barren land, embrace the power of the sun, and create an engineering marvel. So, take the time to reflect, see the great work that was done, and understand the significance of this project and what it can lead to. Hopefully, this is just the spark.”
Brig. Gen. William Kale, Air Force Civil Engineer Center Commander
The project development witnessed the hard work of more than 1,000 craftworkers. Impressively, they achieved remarkable safety results, including “more than a million hours injury-free and a safety award by the California Association of General Contractors.”
Capacity
The Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage project features an astounding 1.9 million First Solar PV panels. It also employs 120,720 long-duration energy storage batteries from major players LG Chem, Samsung, and BYD. In addition, it uses more than 98 miles of MV Wire and more than 361 miles of DC Wire to connect the systems.
Overall, the project generates 875 megawatts (MW) of solar and 3,287 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery energy storage. It also has 1,300 megawatts of total interconnection capacity.
Supply coverage
Terra-Gen’s Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage project provides power to various partners, including the following:
- San Jose City
- Southern California Edison
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.,
- The Clean Power Alliance
- Starbucks, etc.
Terra-Gen secured almost $1 billion in project financing for Phase II of the project development in 2022, including a $460 million construction and term loan facility, a $403 million tax equity bridge facility, and a $96 million construction and revolving credit facility. The project closed more than $1.7 billion in two financing rounds in total.
