The Green River Energy Center (GREC) has partnered with Pacificorp, one of the largest grid operators in the western United States, to build a new solar energy plant in Emery County, Utah, that is expected to be completed in 2026.
The energy companies identified Emery County as an ideal location because of its flat and dry land, sitting at an elevation of 6,453 feet, and near-constant sunlight around 300 days per year. The plant, which broke ground on Sept. 20, 2024, is projected to power over 88,000 homes when it opens in May of 2026, which would make it one of the largest in the country.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox endorsed the project by focusing on increasing the longevity and of the state’s electric supply while decreasing costs. The support of Cox, who is a Republican, reflects the growing bipartisan support for renewable energy.
“Today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re building a future of affordable, abundant energy in Utah,” Cox said to BusinessWire at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The project was first proposed by Pacificorp in 2020, and the original power purchase agreement (PPA) between Pacificorp and rPlus Energies, the owners of GREC, was signed in October 2022. In March 2024, the proposal was revised to quadruple the energy storage capacity from 400MWh to 1,600MWh. The new agreement also doubled the battery capacity, meaning the plant can hold more energy and for longer periods of time.
The project will cost roughly $1.1 billion and is expected to employ 500 local workers in its construction, focusing on employing locals. Once the plant is in use, it will only need a maximum of 20 employees to maintain operations.
Theresa Foxley, chief of staff at rPlus Energies, said that solar energy would provide long-term cost benefits for the state and local area.
“The beauty of solar is that once it’s installed, you’re not subject to fuel volatility, as we are with other sources of energy, thermal energy in particular,” Foxley said in an interview with Axios. “So there’s an upfront cost, of course, to building and constructing these facilities, but the ongoing operation and maintenance costs of them are very low, and we believe that it provides a really cost-competitive and diversified form of energy for the consumer.”
The energy produced by the GREC solar plant would serve 80% of Utahns who get their power from Rocky Mountain Power, a Pacificorp subsidiary company. The solar park is expected to generate $55 million in tax revenue in 20 years of operation and provide enough energy for peak demand periods.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Utah’s electricity produced from coal is down significantly than it was a decade ago. Energy produced from solar power has increased from .1% in 2015 to to 11%, indicating that Utah is moving in the right direction when it comes to renewable energy.
The solar park does not mean that Utah has completed its shift to renewable energy, however. Emery County also neighbors Carbon County, the location of the Castle Gate Power Plant, one of Utah’s largest coal plants. Castle Gate Power Plant is also operated by Pacificorp, the same company that is developing the Emery County solar park.
Utah remains ranked 27th in renewable energy generation by state, according to a map drawn by Yale Climate Connections. This increase in solar development is not a call for complacency, it is a reminder that action must be continuous.
To learn more about the benefits of solar energy and to help implement more solar energy being produced and used throughout the US, check out this petition.
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