A California-based renewable energy group said a Minnesota solar-plus-storage project is being supported by state regulators. Primergy on September 4 said its Northern Crescent Solar + Storage installation has unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for a site permit.
The project includes up to 150 MW of grid-interconnected solar generation, along with 50 MW of grid-charged battery energy storage capacity in Faribault County, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis.
Primergy on Thursday said Northern Crescent is among the most advanced projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) interconnection queue. The company said the project “provides an opportunity to add diverse, dispatchable, and renewable generation in the southern Minnesota region by the end of the decade.”
The MPUC in issuing the site permit noted Primergy’s record of community engagement and stakeholder education throughout the permitting process. The project also has received strong support from local workforce organizations, including those representing laborers, operating engineers, and carpenters.
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“Northern Crescent’s solar generation profile provides resource diversity to support Minnesota’s 100% Renewables Portfolio Standard,” said Primergy CEO Ty Daul. “The Primergy team has thoughtfully advanced this project, and the approval represents an important step forward for Northern Crescent and for energy development in the state. We’re proud of the strong community relationships we’ve built and the overwhelming support we’ve received from local partners, and we’re excited to move this crucial project forward after meeting this important milestone.”
The MPUC’s approval of Northern Crescent’s site permit has the project on track to find an offtake customer for the installation’s. The project is expected to begin delivering energy to the grid in 2028 or sooner.
The project also is expected to qualify for clean energy tax incentives. Officials on Thursday said Northern Crescent “will add critical energy generation and storage capacity to the Upper Midwest’s energy infrastructure,” adding that “the project reflects Primergy’s continued investment in energy solutions tailored to local needs and designed in collaboration with community partners.”
The Northern Crescent project adds to Primergy’s growing national portfolio, which includes more than 10.3 GW of solar and 51.5 GWh of battery storage in development and construction. The company has 1.2 GW of solar and 1.5 GWh of battery storage in its operational portfolio. Primergy has raised more than $4 billion in financing to date.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
