Solar energy developer Pine Gate Renewables says it plans to begin construction in 2026 on its Sunstone solar storage project in eastern Oregon after receiving Board approval for the facility siting d ‘state energy last month. The development, which would include the largest U.S. battery energy storage project to date in terms of capacity, has an estimated initial cost of more than $1 billion, a company representative said by email .
Asheville, North Carolina-based Pine Gate plans to build the facility on 9,442 acres in Morrow County, Ore. It includes more than 3.9 million solar PV modules with a generation capacity of 1.2 GW, as well as on-site storage with lithium. ion or zinc batteries in modular containers with a total storage capacity of up to 7.2 GWh.
The scope of the project would also include the construction of an interconnection substation, up to six collector substations, four operations and maintenance buildings and 9.5 miles of 230 kV transmission lines.
The company has yet to execute a formal engineering, procurement and construction agreement, but is “in advanced discussions” with San Diego-based contractor SOLVEnergy, which has an office in Bend, Ore., on said the Pine Gate representative. The company is a major builder of solar energy projects.
Pine Gate CEO Ben Catt said in a statement that Oregon’s “energy facility permitting process is one of the most rigorous in the entire county,” adding that the state board’s approval came after the company “worked with stakeholders” in Oregon and the Morrow County community.
The project will interconnect with the Bonneville Power Administration through the Umatilla Electric Cooperative System, and Pine Gate says it is in talks to sell the project’s power to potential customers and local utilities.
Sunstone was formerly known as Project Echo Solar. Pine Gate acquired the project from its former owner, Gallatin Power Partners, in 2022.
Through the Oregon Energy Facility Siting CouncilPine Gate says it has more than 100 solar installations with a combined capacity of 2 GW and another 30 GW of projects under development in the US. It has 17 solar facilities in operation in Oregon.
Battery energy storage is a growing secondary source of electricity. According to the US Energy Information Administration, utility-scale battery energy storage operators have increased their combined capacity from 4 MW in 2010 to 20.7 GW as of last July.
The agency’s data shows operators plan to open more than 100 battery storage facilities next year totaling more than 14 GW, although not all projects have necessarily started construction or received all necessary regulatory approvals.
