Portland General Electric (PGE) recently announced that Intel has joined the PGE's Green Future Impact program. Intel's participation is enabling the PGE to enter into a 15-year agreement with Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., to purchase clean, emissions-free energy from a new 138-MW solar facility that will be developed in Wasco County, Oregon.
Intel's purchase is the single largest in the PGE's program. The company joins 17 other businesses and municipalities that have committed to purchase clean power through the Green Future Impact program, filling the program's original 300-MW capacity.
Intel signed a 15-year agreement with the PGE to enable the development of this additional new solar facility, which it is naming Daybreak Solar. It will produce a significant portion of the energy needed to power Intel's advanced technology development and manufacturing facilities in Hillsboro, Oregon. Intel will be the only purchaser of power from this new facility and, as part of the agreement, will also purchase and retire the associated renewable energy credits from Avangrid Renewables to improve the quality of its 100% renewable U.S. energy supply.
"Intel is excited to facilitate the construction of this new solar facility and provide our Oregon facilities with locally-based renewable energy," said Marty Sedler, director of global utilities and infrastructure for Intel Corp. "We are proud to extend our commitment to sustainability and to advancing Oregon's economy."
Avangrid Renewables will develop the 138-MW project in Wasco County, Oregon, on 1100 acres of privately-owned land. During peak construction, it will create an estimated 150 to 200 jobs in partnership with local unions. When the facility begins operating in 2022, it will produce enough power to serve the equivalent of more than 32,000 homes. It will benefit the local economy for years to come by generating an estimated US$30 million of taxes and property owner lease payments over the life of the project.
The PGE's agreement with Avangrid Renewables marks the second local renewable energy project made possible by Green Future Impact customers. In 2020, the PGE and Avangrid Renewables announced the development of a 162-MW solar facility — the largest in Oregon — to meet the needs of 17 Green Future Impact subscribers. That project is expected to come online in late 2021.
"We are pleased to again partner with the PGE as we continue to meet the growing clean energy demand of forward-thinking commercial customers in the Pacific Northwest," said Holly Carias, vice president of origination for Avangrid Renewables. "This project represents an important step forward in the region's clean energy transition."
"The PGE is excited to work with Intel to enable its ambitious sustainability and climate goals through our Green Future Impact program," said John McFarland, PGE vice president and chief customer officer. "Partnerships like this strengthen Oregon's economy and also help advance the PGE's goal to reduce the emissions associated with the power we serve to customers by at least 80% by 2030. We look forward to working with Intel and Avangrid Renewables for years to come."
The PGE has requested approval from the Oregon Public Utility Commission to add 200 MW of installed renewables to the program to meet customer demand. More information about participating in Green Future Impact is available here.
