Candela Renewables LLC and Naturgy Energy Group SA has broken ground on their joint PV project in Fayette County, Texas. Candela is a US-based renewable energy developer that was founded in 2018 by former executives of First Solar Inc. Naturgy is a Spanish multinational that is involved in the natural gas and utility markets. This event was announced via a press release on May 18 and first reported by other renewable energy news outlets.
Named 7V Solar Ranch, this project is Candela’s first utility-scale PV project and the first one entering construction in the US as part of the partnership with Naturgy. Last year, Candela announced that it will team up with Naturgy to develop 3.2GW of PV projects and 2GW of co-located energy storage projects. This 5.2GW pipeline had been previously owned by Hamel Renewables LLC and was later acquired by Naturgy.
Occupying an area of 800 hectares (1,982 acres), the 7V Solar Ranch has an AC capacity of 240MW and a DC capacity of 300MW. The construction of the project is scheduled for completion next year. Once up and running, the project will mainly serve the ERCOT market, generating up to 560GWh per year. According to Naturgy’s estimation, the total investment in the project comes to USD 280 million (EUR 264 million). For Naturgy, the 7V Solar Ranch is its largest PV project to date and its first renewable project in the US.