Today (June 25), National Grid Renewables announced the start of operation at its Wild Springs Solar Project (Wild Springs) in Pennington County, South Dakota. The largest solar project in South Dakota to date, Wild Springs is a 128 megawatt (MW) solar project located in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) with a 114 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric).
"The completion of Wild Springs marks a significant step in our commitment to bringing clean, sustainable energy solutions to the state of South Dakota," said Blake Nixon, President of National Grid Renewables. "We're excited to see the impact of this project reach local and state residents through additional tax revenue, charitable contributions, and above all else - clean energy solutions."
"Basin Electric has been evaluating solar generation for many years," Chris Baumgartner, Basin Electric senior vice president of Member and External Relations, said at the event. "We are excited to add solar to our all-of-the-above generation portfolio which includes dispatchable resources such as coal and natural gas and non-dispatchable resources such as wind and now solar. This diverse portfolio allows all these resources to work together to provide the maximum amount of reliability at the lowest-possible cost for our members."
Last summer, Wild Springs celebrated its groundbreaking with a "Solar Does Good" community event, which highlighted the many benefits for local and state communities. The project is anticipated to provide approximately $29.5 million in direct economic impact over the first 20 years of operations, including $12 million in new tax revenue over the same time period. Additionally, and unique to National Grid Renewables, Wild Springs plans to contribute $500,000 in charitable giving to the local New Underwood school district over the first 20 years of operations.
"It's exciting to add Wild Springs to the New Underwood Community. Since the groundbreaking of the Wild Springs Solar Project, National Grid Renewables has been a great neighbor," said Jack Trullinger, Mayor of New Underwood. "The predicted tax revenue along with the generous charitable contribution to the school district is a very welcome bonus."
In addition to the economic benefits provided by the project, Wild Springs is anticipated to avoid 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually - the equivalent to removing roughly 42,000 cars from the road for one year. The project will also generate enough clean, homegrown energy to provide the equivalent electrical usage of an estimated 37,000 homes each year, or 740,000 homes over the first 20 years of operation.
About National Grid Renewables
National Grid Renewables develops, owns and operates large-scale renewable energy assets across the United States, including solar, wind, and energy storage. As a farmer-founded and community-focused business, National Grid Renewables repowers America's electricity grid by reigniting local economies and reinvesting in a sustainable, clean energy future. National Grid Renewables supports National Grid's vision of being at the heart of a clean, fair, and affordable energy future for all. To learn more about National Grid Renewables, visit www.nationalgridrenewables.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.
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