Meanwhile, the start of construction at the Black Creek project follows its acquisition of the facility from Qcells last year, and the securing of over US$650 million in debt finance in April. The company said this week that the two projects represent an investment of more than US$750 million into the Idaho solar sector, which has not historically been a hotspot for solar deployment; figures from the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) show that Idaho had 1.3GW of solar PV in operation, 34^th among the US states, as of June this year.

However, the state has a larger battery storage sector, with the ninth-most storage capacity in operation as of June, according to SEIA. Both technologies will likely feature prominently in the state in the future, with investor-owned utility Idaho Power announcing last year that it plans to add three time as much solar, wind and energy storage as new gas generation.

For its part, rPlus Energies is also investing in co-located solar-plus-storage projects, having started commercial operations at its Green River Energy Centre, combining 400MW of solar PV and a 400MW/1,600MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), last month. The company also has the 400MW Mosby Butte and the 250MW Sage & Sky projects, both of which combine solar PV and BESS, under development in Idaho.

“Pleasant Valley Solar 2 and Blacks Creek Energy Center are critical for supporting Idaho’s continued economic growth and we envision this development as the next chapter in our long-term investment and commitment to the state,” said rPlus Energies president and CEO Luigi Resta.

The company now has a total development pipeline, including projects in operation, under construction or under contact, in Idaho of 1GW, across solar PV projects and BESS.