On September 28, 2022, NextEra Energy Resources and Portland General Electric (PGE) announced that they have opened the first utility-scale energy facilities in North America to co-locate wind, solar, and battery storage.[1] Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facilities, located near Lexington, Oregon, includes 300 MW of wind, 50 MW of solar, and 30 MW of battery storage. Wheatridge is capable of powering the equivalent of 100,000 homes. According to the press release, the construction of the facilities created 300 jobs, and there are now about ten full-time employees operating the facilities. Wheatridge will play a key role in helping PGE meet Oregon’s target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power served to retail customers by at least 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035, and 100% by 2040.

Early development of the project’s wind farm was done by Swaggart Wind Power, LLC. NextEra Energy Resources purchased the development rights and, together with PGE, expanded the project’s scope to include solar generation and battery storage. Power from the facilities will reach PGE customers via a new transmission line constructed by Umatilla Electric Cooperative that connects the facilities with the Bonneville Power Administration’s regional high-voltage grid. PGE owns 100 MW of the wind project. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources owns the rest of Wheatridge and built and operates the combined facility. It will sell its output to PGE under 30- and 20-year power purchase agreements.

[1] https://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/news-releases?item=123874