US utility Georgia Power has opened a procurement round for renewable energy projects totalling 540MW.
The solicitation covers a range of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar photovoltaics and biomass.
Minimum project sizes are 3MW, up to 540MW. Proposals can also include energy storage in conjunction with a renewables project.
The request for proposals (RFP) recently issued is part of the Southern Company electric subsidiary’s plan to procure 1.2GW of renewables through various programmes, via the Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI).
Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the initiative in 2016.
Georgia Power renewable development director Wilson Mallard said: “We are proud of the principles that we have built upon with REDI, such as competitive bidding, as we continue to procure renewable energy from cost effective resources to maximize the benefits for our customers.
“Georgia Power has worked with the PSC to be a national leader in renewable energy and we are eager to receive, review and select projects from this RFP that will provide significant long-term value.”
Accion Group is appointed to oversee the RFP and will act as the independent evaluator for the process. Interested parties are invited to review terms of the RFP and submit proposals by noon, 15 January 2019.
In late 2017, Georgia Power awarded power purchase agreements for 510MW of new solar projects in the first phase of REDI’s utility-scale procurement. Three projects are under development in central, south and south-west Georgia and represent the largest individual solar projects in the state to date.
With 976MW of solar capacity online, the utility continues to grow the largest voluntary renewable portfolio in the US.
Through continued implementation of REDI, as well as other solar projects and programmes, Georgia Power expects to have added up to 1600MW of additional renewable resources by the end of 2021.
All customers will benefit from the projected long-term energy savings from the REDI large-scale procurements. Additionally, customers can support solar growth through optional programmes.