New solar project to power 11K homes in Washington

SEATTLE — A public utility company in Washington state has announced a partnership to develop a new solar project near Richland that would generate enough electricity for more than 11,000 homes, officials said.

Energy Northwest will partner with Tucci Energy Services to build the 300-acre (120-hectare), 75-megawatt solar farm on leased land, The Seattle Times reported Monday. Construction is planned for 2022.

“This underscores Energy Northwest’s commitment to affordably and reliably meeting the region’s electricity needs,” Energy Northwest CEO Brad Sawatzke said.

The project is part of an effort under a 2019 state law that calls for zero greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels to be emitted in the Pacific Northwest by 2045, officials said.

Solar projects in Yakima and Spokane counties are already operational, and Portland-based Avangrid Renewables has proposed a 150-megawatt project on 1,700 acres (690 hectares) in Klickitat County.

The recently announced project site was once part of the Hanford property where plutonium for atomic bombs was produced, officials said. More than 1,600 federal acres (650 hectares) were transferred in 2015 to the Tri-Cities Research District and Tri-Cities community for economic development.

Tucci Energy Services is now seeking buyers for the solar power that will be generated by the project.