Shell Energy North America (US) (SENA) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDF Renewables North America for the Palen Solar project.
SENA will purchase a power tranche of 132MW from the Palen Solar site, which is known as the Maverick 7 Solar Project, for a period of 15 years.
Shell Energy North America president Glenn Wright said: “We continually look for opportunities to increase the supply of renewable power in California while simultaneously reducing Shell’s carbon footprint.
“Customers and communities are demanding a shift in the way their power is generated, and the Maverick 7 Solar Project allows us to deliver a cleaner, sustainable energy solution.”
Located in Riverside County, California, Palen Solar facility is spread across 3,140 acres of land within a Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) and Development Focus Area, which is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
In October 2019 BLM issued a Record of Decision (ROD) to the project, which marked the completion of the federal permitting process. The delivery of clean electricity from the project is expected to begin by the end of 2021.
Additionally, SENA has agreed to purchase 100% of the environmental attributes, including renewable energy credits and capacity.
The new PPA builds on an agreement signed between SENA and EDF in 2018 Renewables for another tranche of the Palen Solar project.
EDF Renewables Power Marketing vice-president Dai Owen said: “Palen Solar, with a total of 500MW of solar capacity, demonstrates EDF Renewables’ long-term commitment to solar development in California.
“The project uniquely positions the company to help load-serving entities meet their long-term carbon goals and obligations under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by offering smaller tranches at industry-leading prices.”
