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Intersect Power reaches commercial operation of 310 MW solar+storage project in California

Intersect Power reaches commercial operation of 310 MW solar+storage project in California
Intersect Power's 224 MWac Athos III solar farm under construction in California. (Courtesy: Intersect Power)

Intersect Power has reached commercial operation on its Athos III solar project in Riverside County, California.

The Athos III solar project (also known as Blythe Mesa Solar II) generates 224 MWac/310 MWp of reliable solar energy, enough to power approximately 94,000 homes, and features 448 MWh of co-located battery storage. 

The Athos III solar project was built by union labor, with American-made solar panels, batteries, and steel piles, meaning it is expected to meet the domestic content and prevailing wage requirements in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber called the project “a case study in how the clean energy industry can maximize our impact by prioritizing domestic supply chains and union labor to ensure the benefits of the clean energy transition are felt by all Americans.”

Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber was featured on the Factor This! podcast to discuss the impact of the Auxin Solar tariff petition, domestic manufacturing, and the need for a clear industrial policy in the U.S., which later came in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Athos III solar project is part of Intersect Power’s near-term portfolio totaling 2.2 GW of solar PV and 1.4 GWh of co-located storage. The remainder of the portfolio will be operational in 2023. 

Funding for the project’s construction and operations was secured as part of the broader portfolio financing announced last November, when Intersect Power closed on portfolio-level term debt, tax equity, and construction financing commitments from leading financial institutions and investors.

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