Pine Gate Renewables has received final discretionary approval from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) to move forward with its 2.4GW Sunstone solar and storage project in eastern Oregon, US.
The facility is planned to be developed in Morrow County, 24.1km northeast of Lexington. It will comprise a 1.2GW solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation facility as well as 1.2GW storage project.
The Sunstone solar and storage project will span 9,442 acres of private land designated for Exclusive Farm Use within a larger 10,960-acre site. The facility will feature up to 7.2GW-hours of battery storage.
Additional infrastructure includes an interconnection substation, up to six collector substations, up to four operations and maintenance buildings, and 15.3km of 230kV overhead transmission lines.
The EFSC approval follows a comprehensive evaluation and public consultation process. It authorises Pine Gate to begin development of the project, which is claimed to become the country’s largest.
US Senator Ron Wyden said: “The fight against the climate crisis depends on a variety of successful energy solutions like Pine Gate Renewables’ solar power and energy storage project in Eastern Oregon.”
The Sunstone solar and storage project will interconnect to the Bonneville Power Administration grid through the Umatilla Electric Cooperative system.
Pine Gate is in discussions with local utilities and potential customers to secure agreements for the electricity and environmental attributes of the clean energy generated by the facility.
To address the local agricultural economy’s concerns, Pine Gate collaborated with Morrow County and agricultural stakeholders to create an innovative programme.
This initiative will channel over $1,000 per project acre into a county-managed fund aimed at supporting agricultural programmes and enhancing the resilience of wheat farms in the region.
Pine Gate CEO Ben Catt said: “Oregon’s energy facility permitting process is one of the most rigorous in the entire country.
“The recent unanimous permit approval is a testament to the way our team worked with stakeholders to provide a win-win for Oregon and the Morrow County community.”
Pine Gate plans to commence engineering and procurement for the solar and storage project in early 2025, with phased construction expected to begin in 2026.
The company acquired the Sunstone solar and storage project from Gallatin Power Partners in 2022.
