Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. adds 100 MW of solar capacity

Arkansas Electric Cooperative of Little Rock will purchase up to 100 megawatts of renewable energy from an 800-acre solar farm near Crossett in 2021. This image is of a similar project located in Dawson County, Texas. (Submitted photo)
Arkansas Electric Cooperative of Little Rock will purchase up to 100 megawatts of renewable energy from an 800-acre solar farm near Crossett in 2021. This image is of a similar project located in Dawson County, Texas. (Submitted photo)

Little Rock-Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) of Little Rock has entered into a power purchase agreement with Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES) of Broomfield, Colo. to purchase up to 100 megawattsac of energy that will be produced by an 800-acre solar farm near Crossett in 2021.

"The addition of the 100 megawatts of solar capacity produced by the Crossett Solar Energy Farm will provide AECC with additional reasonably priced power that is ultimately delivered to the more than 1.2 million electric cooperative members in Arkansas," said Duane Highley, president/CEO of AECC. "AECC's generation fuel portfolio now includes more than 17 percent of hydropower, solar, wind and biomass generation which supplements our traditional generation facilities."

RES, a leading global renewable energy development and construction company, developed Crossett Solar and will construct the project. The project will provide the benefits of both energy diversity and job creation to the state of Arkansas. The 100-MWac project, consisting of more than 362,000 solar panels, will create as many as 175 jobs during the peak of construction, with up to three permanent jobs once construction is completed.

Located in Ashley County, Arkansas, the construction of Crossett Solar is expected to begin in early 2021.

"We're excited to work with Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation again, and we are pleased to help AECC bring solar energy to the cooperative members," said Graham Reid, RES CEO, Americas. "We look forward to bringing economic benefits and jobs to the state of Arkansas and to a community that has supported us throughout the project development cycle."

Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation, a generation and transmission cooperative, provides wholesale power to Arkansas' 17 electric distribution cooperatives that provide electricity to approximately 500,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.

Since 1997, RES has been providing development, engineering, construction, and operations services to the utility-scale wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage markets across the Americas. The company employs more than 1,500 full-time professionals; has over 10,000 MW of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects; and has constructed more than 1,000 miles of transmissions lines throughout North America. RES' corporate office in the U.S. is located in Broomfield, Colo. with regional offices located in Austin, Texas, Minneapolis, Minn., Old Saybrook, Conn. and Sacramento, Calif.

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