New Generating Capacity Installed During 1Q of 2017 Well Ahead of 2016
According to a monthly update from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 1,462 MW of new electric generation capacity was installed nationally during March.
The FERC Office of Energy Projects published its Energy Infrastructure Update on May 4.
During the first quarter of 2017, FERC reported that 4,756 MW of new generation capacity has been brought online. That’s more than double the 2,339 MW deployed during the first three months of 2016, according to the data from FERC.
On the electric transmission front, the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project is expected to start construction in 2018. The 515-mile, 500-kV transmission project will connect Arizona and New Mexico. The project is expected to be complete by 2020.
The largest single generation deployment during March was the CPV Maryland LLC’s 746 MW natural gas-fired CPV St. Charles Energy Center Project in Charles County, Maryland.
There was one other power facility fueled by natural gas commissioned in March. The Minnesota Municipal Power Agency’s 46 MW natural gas-fired Shakopee Energy Park Project in Scott County, Minnesota.
All the other generation brought into service during March was powered by renewable energy, according to FERC. The other power projects include:
- Western Plains Wind Project LLC’s 280 MW Western Plains Wind Phase 1 Project in Ford County, KS.
- Cimarron Bend Wind Project II LLC’s 200 MW Cimarron Bend Wind II Project in Clark County, KS.
- Duke Energy Carolinas’ 59 MW Monroe Solar Facility (Duke) Project in Union County, NC.
- Thunderhill Solar Power LLC’s 38 MW Thunderhill Solar Project in Glenn County, CA.
- TPE Alta Luna LLC’s 28 MW Alta Luna Solar Project in Luna County, NM. The power generated is sold to Tri State Generation & Transmission Association Inc. under long-term contract.
- SolarCity Corp.’s 15 MW Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Solar Project in Kauai County, HI.
- Aurora Distributed Solar LLC’s 8 MW Chisago County Solar Project in Chisago County, MN.
- Solean LLC’s 7.5 MW Solean Solar Project in Cattaraugus County, NY, and;
- Aloha Solar Energy Fund I LLC’s 5 MW Aloha Solar Energy Fund 1 Project in Honolulu County, HI.
