A new 300 MW solar project will power much of Humboldt County, California

EDP ​​​​Renewables North America today unveiled the Sandrini I & II solar farm (Sandrini I & II) in Kern County, California.

The two-phase solar farm includes the 200 MW Sandrini I, which has a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy North America (SENA), and the 100 MW Sandrini II, which has a 15-year PPA. with Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). Both phases of the project were commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Sandrini I generates enough energy to power the equivalent of more than 76,000 California homes annually and has paid out more than $510,000 in tax payments to local governments since 2023. This has strengthened the local community by improving schools, roads and other essential services. In addition, approximately $15 million will be paid to local landowners, who will lease some of their land to house the solar farm’s infrastructure. Sandrini I & II employed more than 200 workers during construction and will create several permanent operational positions.

Power from Sandrini II will supply more than one-third of the total annual electricity needs for customers of RCEA’s community choice energy program. RCEA provides more than 90% of the electricity for Humboldt County on California’s rural north coast. The completion of Sandrini II marks a major step towards RCEA achieving its goal of delivering 100% renewable energy to its customers by 2030.

RCEA is one of 25 community choice aggregators (CCAs) now serving communities in California. Sandrini II contributes to 8,000 MW of new clean energy sources brought online by California’s CCAs to date. An additional 10,000 MW of new clean resources have been contracted with these CCAs and are currently under development or construction. CCAs’ clean energy projects collectively support more than 36,000 construction jobs in California and the West.