Terra-Gen energizes Lockhart Solar IV in southern California
Utility-scale solar developer, owner, and operator Terra-Gen has reached commercial operation on the Lockhart IV solar project in San Bernardino County, California, company officials say.
Adding 80 MW of solar capacity to the straining Californian grid, the project carries enough wattage to power about 40,000 homes and businesses every year. With the fourth phase of the project now complete, Lockhart Solar and Storage comes in at a total of 365 MW of solar and 173.7 MW of battery storage, company officials add.
“We are excited to bring the Lockhart IV project online and continue investing in projects that help meet the growing electricity demand and create economic, social and environmental positive impact,” says John O’Connor, CEO of Terra-Gen. “With more than 15 GW of projects in our development pipeline, we are well positioned to continue delivering reliable, sustainable energy at scale that can help satisfy the energy needs of today and tomorrow.”
In total, construction of the fourth phase of the Lockhart renewable energy project created more than 220 construction jobs, and crews were able to complete 122,000 work hours with zero lost-time incidents. Now, the project will move into a long-term power purchase agreement with an unnamed “load-serving entity” in the Golden State.
Catching up with the grid’s needs
Now fully operational, the Lockhart Solar and Storage facility is capable of enough energy output to meet the needs of more than 350,000 California homes and businesses. According to Terra-Gen officials, the massive project includes almost 1 million solar modules, as well as 248 battery enclosures.
“California’s clean energy goals are some of the most ambitious in the country, and I’m confident in the positive impact our new Lockhart facility will have in powering the state’s future with new, clean, and reliable energy resources,” O’Connor said following the energization of the first two phases in January.
“This milestone reinforces our mission to provide affordable energy, at a large scale, to help strengthen the California grid while also having a meaningful positive impact on climate change.”
The Lockhart project is now fully online, as of July 14. The project will utilize an existing generation tie line, connecting through Southern California Edison’s Kramer Junction Substation.
