National Grid Renewables announced today the start of onsite field construction at its Wild Springs Solar Project (Wild Springs) in Pennington County, South Dakota. Wild Springs, the largest solar energy project in South Dakota to-date, is a 128 megawatt (MWac) solar project located in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) with a 114 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric).
"Wild Springs represents a continuation of our leadership in renewable energy and economic development in the state of South Dakota," commented Blake Nixon, President, National Grid Renewables. "Our Crocker Wind Farm located in Clark County began operation in 2019, and now with Wild Springs, we will have nearly 330 MW of clean energy projects in the state, all of which contribute significantly to the tax base, as well as the local communities that host the projects."
"The construction of the Wild Springs Solar Project will be a great addition to South Dakota," said Steve Westra, Commissioner, South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED).
Wild Springs is anticipated to begin commercial operation in 2023 and is currently poised to be the largest solar energy project in the state of South Dakota. Once operational, Wild Springs is projected to avoid 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and is estimated to produce $12 million in new tax revenue throughout the first 20 years of operation. Unique to National Grid Renewables, Wild Springs anticipates donating over $500,000 during the first 20 years of operation to the local community through a planned charitable fund.
Wild Springs selected Ames Construction as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) partner to construct the Wild Springs facility. The Renewables Group leadership at Ames Construction has over ten years of experience building solar projects across the United States. Ames Construction estimates the need to employ 250 construction workers to complete this major infrastructure project.
"Ames appreciates National Grid Renewables' confidence in being selected as their EPC partner," commented Craig Sandeen, Ames Renewables' President. "We're excited to be a part of building South Dakota's largest solar project!"
Wild Springs will utilize next-generation Series 6 thin film solar modules developed and produced by First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR). Recently, First Solar and National Grid Renewables announced a 2 gigawatt (GW) supply of solar modules scheduled for delivery 2024-2025.
