National Grid Renewables has announced the start of major onsite construction of two solar projects located in southern Minnesota, with a combined capacity of 95MW.
Both the 45MW Fillmore County Solar scheme (Fillmore) located in Fillmore County, and the 50MW Louise Solar array (Louise) located in Mower County are within the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) market.
Vice president of construction and engineering at National Grid Renewables Joe Ibrahim said: “As a company that was founded and still headquartered in Minnesota, it is both exciting and rewarding to see this growth in renewable energy happening right in our own backyard.
“These projects will not only provide additional tax revenue and jobs to the local residents, but also extend our commitment to being good neighbors with local and statewide residents.”
Both Fillmore and Louise have executed power purchase agreements with Xcel Energy, a proven leader in reducing carbon emissions while still delivering reliable and affordable energy for residents across its large service territory.
Also based in Minnesota, Xcel Energy has committed to delivering 100% carbon-free electricity to its customers by 2050.
Together, Fillmore and Louise will contribute more than US$30m in direct economic impact over the first 20 years of operation.
This includes over US$4m in new tax revenue to be distributed to local townships and counties, as well as the creation of 300 new construction jobs in the area.
Above and beyond these benefits, the projects will contribute a combined US$475,000 through dedicated charitable funds over the same time period.
These charitable funds are unique to National Grid Renewables and exemplify its commitment to being good stewards of the communities in which its projects are built, it said.