The projects will have a total capacity of 120 MW and will be constructed on three military sites along the Florida Gulf Coast. Once constructed, they will be the three largest PV solar facilities in Florida and among the largest east of the Mississipi. Collectively, they will produce enough power to supply over 18,000 homes per year.
The projects will located at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 MW), Holley Naval Outlying Landing Field in Navarre (40 MW) and Saufley Naval Outlying Landing Field in Pensacola (50 MW). Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2016 with completion in the fourth quarter.
“This is an important collaboration between Gulf Power, the Navy, the Air Force, and HelioSage” said Stan Connally, Gulf Power President and CEO. “We’re excited to be able to add solar energy to our generation mix. With some careful planning, we’ve been able to make sure these projects are cost-effective for our customers.”
HelioSage will develop, finance and operate the projects once they have been approved by the Florida Public Service Commission. The power generated by the projects will be sold to Gulf Power under a long-term Energy Purchase Agreement.
Chris Quarterman, Vice President of Strategy for HelioSage, added that the projects will bring renewable energy to Northwest Florida at rates competitive with traditional energy sources. They will also help to demonstrate that large-scale solar has now become a cost-effective, proven technology that will play a major role in the energy future of both Florida and the US as a whole.
HelioSage is a national US developer of utility-scale solar projects with a development pipeline across 20 states, including over 400 MW of executed Power Purchase Agreements.
Gulf Power is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Southern Company based in Atlanta. It serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout North West Florida and specialises in the delivery of reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity services.
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