Leeward has acquired a 110MW Californian PPA
2 min readValley Clean Energy (VCE) and Leeward Renewable Energy (Leeward) have agreed to a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for Leeward’s Willow Springs 3 solar and battery storage complex in Kern County, California. The project includes 72MW of solar and 36MW of battery storage. When completed, the Willow Springs 3 venture will provide power to about 27 percent of VCE’s 125,000 consumers in Yolo County, California, by the end of 2023.
The agreement will also assist VCE in attaining its aim of having a carbon-neutral portfolio of 100 percent by 2030 as a result of the accord. VCE’s local workforce growth and sustainability activities in Kern and Yolo counties will benefit from Leeward’s contribution as part of the agreement, which will help the company to support local employment and training opportunities. “Valley Clean Energy is happy to announce our collaboration with Leeward in Willow Springs 3 project,” said Dan Carson, chair of the VCE board of directors and a member of the Davis City Council. Our mission, driven by the urgency of climate change, is to increase the amount of new renewable energy added to the grid, but it does not cease there. “Bringing extra advantages to our community is a primary concern for VCE, and this accord reinforces our communities where they are most in need—with good jobs and clean energy.”
It is anticipated that Willow Springs 3 would offer considerable economic advantages for Kern County and that it will generate approximately 300 high-quality local employment throughout the building phase. Continuing Leeward’s momentum in the Antelope Valley, this announcement marks the company’s fourth Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) meeting the renewable energy demands of prominent Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) from the solar projects in Kern County.
“Willow Springs 3 will further increase our capacity to serve Californians with a greener, more reliable power infrastructure,” said Kathryn Arbeit, senior vice president in charge of the development for Leeward.
In addition to promoting the usage of renewable power throughout California, we are looking forward to working with Valley Clean Energy to provide additional advantages to the communities of Yolo and Kern Counties through local worker involvement and sustainability efforts.” The facility will be owned and operated by Leeward. The construction of the project is scheduled to begin in December 2021, with the project’s first energy delivery to Valley Clean Energy slated to occur in December 2023.
