rPlus Energies Breaks Ground on 200-Megawatt "Appaloosa Solar 1" Project in Iron County, Utah

Appaloosa Solar 1 sits adjacent to one of Utah's earliest utility-scale solar projects, also developed by rPlus Energies executives

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable energy developer rPlus Energies has commenced construction of the 200 MWac / 240 MWdc Appaloosa Solar 1 project located in Iron County, UT. This project is the largest in Utah to reach this milestone.

Neighboring Appaloosa Solar 1 is the 80 MWac / 110 MWdc Three Peaks Solar project. Completed in 2016, Three Peaks Solar was the second utility-scale solar project developed in Utah by the same leadership team that now heads rPlus Energies, helping pioneer the way for the industry's nearly one gigawatt of such projects since commissioned in Utah.

"We are proud to be back in Iron County with a third project, the largest to date," said rPlus Energies President & CEO, Luigi Resta. "Iron County has been a fantastic, supportive community and we are happy to continue our approach to build in Utah, by Utah and for Utah with this project."

Recently, Greenbacker Capital Management ("Greenbacker"), a leading renewable energy asset manager, invested in Appaloosa Solar 1. The transaction represents the latest collaboration between a Greenbacker affiliate and rPlus Energies who recently developed, built, and commissioned the 80 MWac Graphite Solar project in Carbon County, Utah—Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company's largest operational clean energy project to date.

"Building durable partnerships is critical to building the future of energy, and we at Greenbacker are incredibly pleased to continue our partnership with rPlus," said Ben Tillar, VP of Investments at Greenbacker. "We're excited to contribute to utility-scale solar plants like Appaloosa, which will support green jobs and help Utah run on cost-effective renewable power."

Sundt Construction, with significant experience in Utah including the rPlus-developed Graphite Solar Project in Carbon County completed in June 2022, is providing engineering, procurement, and construction for Appaloosa Solar 1. The rPlus team will remain involved with construction management and community relations. The project is expected to utilize many local vendors during construction, bringing revenue to the area, benefits to local businesses and approximately 250 construction related jobs.

The Appaloosa Solar 1 project has two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) in place with PacifiCorp on behalf of Meta. The contract was developed under Rocky Mountain Power's Schedule 34 green energy tariff, which allows large customers to purchase renewable energy generated on their behalf.

To celebrate the commencement of Appaloosa Solar 1, rPlus Energies, Sundt Construction and Greenbacker hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on the project site followed by festivities at an adjacent recreation area.

rPlus Energies develops modern power plants to contribute to the rebuilding of America's energy infrastructure. Through partnership with the private sector, municipalities, and utilities, rPlus Energies develops utility-scale power plants to access a region's best mix of renewable resources to enable a more dispatchable and reliable power supply. rPlus Energies has over 30 projects across 15 market areas in the U.S. in active development including solar, wind, pumped storage hydro, and solar plus battery. Across all technologies, the portfolio represents over 12 GWs of power output and over 7.5 GWs and 60 GWh of storage capacity. rPlus Energies is a subsidiary of The Gardner Group, family owned and operated since 1976, which is dedicated to building better communities through thoughtful, sustainable practices in developing and managing real estate, renewable energy and technology, and providing results-oriented philanthropy. Learn more at www.rplusenergies.com.

Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com.

PacifiCorp is one of the lowest-cost electrical providers in the United States, serving 2 million customers. The company operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming and as Pacific Power in California, Oregon and Washington. PacifiCorp provides safe and reliable service through a vast, integrated system of generation and transmission that connects communities as the largest regulated utility owner of wind power in the West. For more information, visit www.pacificorp.com.

Sundt Construction, Inc. (www.sundt.com) is one of the country's largest and most respected general contractors. The 132-year-old firm specializes in transportation, industrial, building, concrete and renewable energy work and is owned entirely by its approximately 2,000-plus employees. Sundt is distinguished by its diverse capabilities and experience, unique employee-ownership culture and depth of self-perform expertise in nine major trades. Much of Sundt's workforce is comprised of skilled craft professionals who, together with the company's administrative employees, enable Sundt to fulfill its mission to be the most skilled builder in America. Sundt has 12 offices throughout Arizona, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Utah and is currently ranked the country's 61st largest construction company by ENR, the industry's principal trade magazine. 

Maile Resta
Communications Associate
707-776-7773
[email protected] 

Chris Larson
Senior Writer & Media Communications
847-313-0935
[email protected]

SOURCE Rplus Energies