Solar developer Lightsource bp has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) with the North American arm of Japanese automaker Toyota to sell electricity generated at its upcoming 231MW Jones City 2 solar farm.
Power generated at the project will be sold to Toyota under a 15-year offtake agreement, which Lightsource bp said would help the automaker meet its renewable energy goals. Toyota Motor North America plans to match 45% of its purchased power with renewable electricity by 2026, as part of its parent company’s plans to reach carbon neutrality at all global manufacturing facilities by 2035.
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“Toyota has a goal to match or source our electricity needs with renewables,” said Toyota environmental and sustainability general manager Tim Hilgeman. “Toyota’s virtual power purchase from Jones City alone has the potential to match more than 20% of our purchased electricity in North America with renewables.”
The project is part of the larger Jones City Energy Center, which will combine a total of 700MW of solar PV capacity with a battery energy storage system (BESS), and at which Lightsource bp began construction in spring 2025. The company aims to begin commercial construction at the first phase of the project in June this year, and said that it would focus on “local hiring” to fill the 500 jobs required for construction work.
The news follows bp’s divestment from a number of renewable energy assets. Last year, the oil major announced plans to “reset” its operations by finding a partner for Lightsource bp and focusing on oil and gas generation, and last month, Brazilian state-owned oil giant Petrobras acquired just under half of Lightsource bp’s subsidiaries active in the country.
Despite bp shifting its focus away from the renewable energy industry, Lightsource bp has advanced a number of projects in recent months, particularly in Oceania. Last September, Lightsource bp started work at a 585MW solar-plus-storage project in Australia, and in October, the company’s Glorit Solar Farm in New Zealand received regulatory approval.
