Solar developer Lightsource bp has completed construction of the 135MW Conway Solar at Happy project in White County, Arkansas alongside state utility Conway Corp.
It represents a US$125 million investment, financing for which was signed earlier this year as part of a larger portfolio deal with Wells Fargo.
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A power purchase agreement (PPA) is already in place between the two companies, seeing Conway offtake the entirety of the plant’s generation capacity to power its operations in Arkansas. Having developed, constructed and financed the project, Lightsource will continue to own and operate it.
295,000 of Arizona-based First Solar’s thin film cadmium telluride modules are in place at the site, along with trackers from Array technologies and steel from Attala steel, all US-based manufacturers. Earlier this year Lightsource signed a 4GW supply deal with First Solar for its Series 7 modules, deliverable between 2026-28.
The site is co-located with a 5 acre native pollinator garden that will support local fauna, including the endangered Monarch butterfly, with over 46 varieties of native plant.
“Work on this project began in 2019 and it is one of the most significant projects for Conway Corp since our incorporation in 1929, “ said Bret Carroll, chief executive officer at Conway Corp. “I’m proud of the team that worked on this project and the way it fulfills key parts of our mission by providing reliable and environmentally sound electricity to our community. I also appreciate our partnership with Lightsource bp, they have been great partners from the very beginning.”
Lightsource bp, the solar generation arm of fossil fuels major bp, signed a PPA earlier this week with a fashion and textiles conglomerate to support a number of clothing companies’ decarbonisation efforts across Europe. The deal was a collective virtual PPA (CVPPA), whereby the companies – most of which were not specified by the deal’s overall offtaker – will pay Lightsource remotely for the power in lieu of direct transmission.
The company also signed a milestone PPA in Poland with technology giant Microsoft this summer.