RWE expands US portfolio with 599MW solar and storage projects

RWE Clean Energy has bolstered its renewable pipeline in the US by adding 599MW of solar and energy storage projects acquired from developer Galehead Development.

The move positions RWE to expand into new Pacific Northwest markets and grow its existing footprint in New York.

The recently completed acquisitions include two development-stage renewables projects located within PacifiCorp’s operating territory in the Pacific Northwest and a mid-stage development asset in northeastern New York.

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The projects include:

• Cedar Ridge: a 300MWac solar project paired with a 150MW (600MWh) energy storage asset located in Blaine County, Idaho. The collocated solar and energy storage project will help meet growing demand and provide regional grid support consistent with PacifiCorp’s resource planning forecasts.
• Remington: a 199MW, 4-hour (796MWh) standalone BESS asset located in Marion County, Oregon. In addition to providing flexible clean power in response to regional demand fluctuations, the project will be designed to have a smaller overall footprint for minimal impact to existing land use.
• Champlain: a 100MWac solar PV project located in Washington County, New York. The project’s location will help meet growing demand in this section of the NYISO market.

Hanson Wood head of development utility-scale renewables for RWE Clean Energy commented: “RWE is excited to close on our first acquisitions with Galehead, in particular the Remington and Cedar Ridge projects which allow us to expand our presence in the Pacific Northwest market where there is robust demand for low-cost, clean power.

"Importantly, these projects will help provide future grid support, create good-paying jobs and fuel the local economies of Washington, Blain and Marion counties. We look forward to working with the local communities to communicate the benefits of these projects throughout the development process.“

John Clifford, chief revenue officer for Galehead Development, LLC: “This transaction is a great validation of the hard work by our team to understand the long-term signals of durable markets, navigate a complex greenfield siting environment and interconnection tariff and collaborate with the world’s leading Energy Transition investors. We are thrilled to start and build on this partnership with RWE to advance this PacifiCorp project portfolio and future projects.”

RWE currently has 36GW of onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in its US development pipeline.