NextEra Energy, PGE complete 380-MW hybrid renewables project in Oregon

US clean energy company NextEra Energy Resources LLC and utility Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR), or PGE, on Wednesday cut the ribbon on a 380-MW hybrid renewable energy site, described as North America’s first utility-scale facility combining wind, solar and battery storage.

The event, attended by state and local officials, marked the commissioning of the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facilities, located near Lexington in Morrow County, Oregon. The complex includes a 300-MW wind farm that was brought online at the end of 2020, as well as 50 MW of solar and 30 MW of battery storage. It is expected to supply reliable power to the equivalent of 100,000 homes.

Wheatridge supports PGE towards reaching Oregon's goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from power supplied to retail customers by at least 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035 and 100% by 2040.

PGE owns 100 MW of the wind project and will buy the generation of the remainder of the project, which is owned by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, under 30-year and 20-year power purchase agreements.

The project was first developed as a wind farm by Swaggart Wind Power LLC. NextEra Energy Resources then acquired the development rights and in partnership with PGE expanded it to add solar and battery storage.

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