Clenera, an Enlight company, has announced initiation of commercial operations at the Apex Solar project in Beaverhead County, Montana.
Under a 20-year power purchase agreement with NorthWestern Energy, the project is not only expected to generate carbon-free power equivalent to the annual consumption of 13,500 households but also add $25 million in tax revenue for Beaverhead County and over $5 million for the state.
The project is financed by Huntington National Bank for long-term, and its construction was financed by Bank of America and NORD/LB.
“While our 24/7, on-demand generation resources, such as the Yellowstone County Generating Station and the Colstrip plant are absolutely necessary for NorthWestern Energy to help address our customers’ needs during critical weather, they are also necessary to balance the variable generation of sun and wind resources,” said NorthWestern Energy Vice President Supply and Montana Government Affairs, John Hines. “We continue to focus on providing reliable, sustainable energy service to our Montana customers with diverse generation resources as we responsibly transition to an even cleaner energy future.”
Clenera is also developing an Advanced Development project near Apex Solar in Montana. The project leverages the same point of interconnection as Apex under the company’s interconnection-led “land and expand” strategy.
