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Denmark-based renewable energy group Ørsted has locked in long-term land financing deals with HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI) for its 1 GW solar and storage projects in the US. Ørsted has signed up for approximately 6,600 acres, spread across Arizona, Texas, and Alabama. This land parcel hosts the Eleven Mile Solar Center in Pinal County, Arizona, with 300 MW AC capacity each for solar and storage, operational since 2024; the 227 MW AC Muscle Shoals Solar Project has been operating since 2021; and the Sparta Solar Project with 250 MW AC capacity, part of Helena Energy Center, is also online since 2024.
HASI says it has provided land financing across 6 GW of solar and storage projects in the past year, bringing its total land investment to more than 24 GW. Ørsted will continue to own and operate the projects.
Ørsted is said to be exploring the sale of its US onshore solar and wind energy business, according to a Bloomberg report, a deal that could exceed $1 billion. It is reportedly focusing on the European offshore wind market and sold its European onshore business to the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) after suffering project cancellations and losses in its US business following the Trump administration’s anti-offshore wind policies.
Canada-based energy infrastructure company Enbridge has announced that Phase One of its Sequoia Solar project in Texas is now fully operational. Located in Callahan County, west of Dallas, the project is being developed in 2 phases: the 400 MW Phase One is now online, and the 415 MW Phase Two is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Once fully operational, the 815 MW facility will rank among North America’s largest solar projects.
The project will supply renewable power to customers, including AT&T, Toyota, PepsiCo, and Donaldson Company, under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). Enbridge said the project supports customers’ energy cost management and emissions reduction goals, including Toyota’s target to achieve carbon neutrality at its North American facilities by 2035, and helps AT&T manage energy costs and reduce its carbon footprint.
Avangrid, the US-based electricity and renewable energy generation company, has signed a PPA with Microsoft for the 140 MW DC/100 MW AC Bluebird Solar project in Klickitat County, Washington. With the addition of Bluebird, the 2 companies now have more than 500 MW of contracted energy capacity across the US. Bluebird is the 4th US energy project under contract between Avangrid and Microsoft, following Powell Creek Solar, Camino Solar, and Juniper Canyon Wind.
The Bluebird Solar project is expected to begin commercial operations in 2028. It represents a $300 million investment in the local community. Project construction is expected to create around 300 jobs, primarily through local union labor, and is projected to contribute about $11 million in property taxes over its lifetime.
Power and digital infrastructure company BrightNight has reached financial close for the 120 MW Frontier Solar PV Project in Washington and Marion counties, Kentucky. The project will add renewable energy to the Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU) portfolio under a Build Transfer Agreement signed in 2024.
The project was approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission in 2023 and is expected to begin commercial operations by fall 2027. Financing was provided by a consortium of banks, including ING Capital LLC, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, and HSBC. BrightNight said the milestone moves the project from development into construction and reflects the continued growth of its US renewable energy portfolio, which exceeds 30 GW.
Israel-headquartered renewable energy developer Enlight Renewable Energy has signed a 15-year physical PPA with Google for electricity from the Solstice Solar Project in Oklahoma, US. The 250 MW DC project, being developed by Enlight’s US subsidiary Clēnera Holdings, will supply 200 MW AC of solar power to Google’s regional data center operations. Power generated will be fed into the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) market, which is projected to retire over 5.7 GW of fossil generation resources by 2029 and add nearly 5 GW of new generation between 2026 and 2029.
The Solstice project, located in LeFlore County, has completed a system impact study and is expected to receive full interconnection approval in 2026. Construction is planned to begin in 2028, with commercial operations targeted for 2029. A future expansion could add 800 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity. For Enlight, this is its 1st US PPA with a commercial customer.
Swap Robotics, the US-based solar robotics technology firm, announced a robotic services agreement worth more than $10 million with DESRI, formerly known as D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, for utility-scale solar projects. DESRI has also invested in the company following an evaluation of the solar robotics market. The agreement supports the deployment of robotic vegetation management solutions across solar sites as the industry looks to scale automation in operations and maintenance, stated Swap Robotics Co-Founder and CEO Tim Lichti. Its 100% autonomous robots provide heavy-duty outdoor work for the construction and maintenance of solar farms. Silicon Ranch and Array Technologies are some of its investors.
Private equity firm Hull Street Energy (HSE) has agreed to acquire FirstLight USA from the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. The deal includes nearly 1.4 GW of clean energy assets across the Northeast in the US. The portfolio includes the 1.168 GW Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Hydro facility in Massachusetts, the largest energy storage facility in New England, as well as 14 hydroelectric stations and 3 operational solar and battery facilities.
Hull Street Energy said the acquisition will help support grid reliability and long-duration energy storage as electricity demand grows in the region. The transaction is subject to federal regulatory approval and is expected to close later this year.
