The state of Wyoming gave the green light for the development of its largest solar power project, the Cowboy Solar I & II, in Laramie County. According to the Public Notice of Permit Approval, the project would be 771 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar plus battery energy storage system.
Project signals potential diversification and a step toward renewable energy
Canadian energy company Enbridge has finally secured a siting permit from the Industrial Siting Council, allowing it to build and operate the Cowboy Solar Project I & II. The next step for Enbridge is to apply for county, environmental, and municipal permits.
As per the document, the solar farm will rise on private land leases in two phases in Laramie County. The company plans to kick off the construction of the project in March 2025 for 29 months.
The first phase’s commercial operation is set to launch in January 2027, while the second phase will follow in August 2027. According to Enbridge’s estimates, the project will have an average of 285 temporary workers monthly. The number will increase to about 375 workers in April 2025.
The 771-megawatt farm could power hundreds of thousands of homes
The Cowboy Solar Project I & II will yield up to 771 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar and 269 MW battery storage.
The Cowboy Solar will have 400 MW of solar power and 136 MW of battery storage. Meanwhile, the Cowboy Solar II will generate 371 MW of solar power and 133 MW of battery storage.
The project has the capacity to sufficiently provide power to 771,000 households, which is apparently threefold higher than the number of homes in the state.
Enbridge has yet to release an offtake agreement for the electricity generation. Nonetheless, the project’s official website displays that the company aims to “provide clean electricity to the Cheyenne Light and Power (CLPT) grid.”
Coal’s dominance wanes amid clean energy uptake
The Cowboy Solar Project I & II is set to become Wyoming’s third utility-scale solar project. At 124 MW, Wyoming is 46th in the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) ‘s solar installation rankings in the US.
All that said, the upcoming solar farm will undoubtedly be a huge advancement in renewable energy for a state that has generated more coal than any other US state since 1986.
In January 2024, renewable energy successfully overthrew coal in power generation in the US. Solar and wind energy continue to propel the shift to sustainability. FERC’s latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” revealed that renewable energy generating capacity installations in the US reached 376.33 gigawatts (GW), surpassing coal’s 207.15 GW record.
