BrightNight, the next-generation power and digital infrastructure company built to deliver clean and dispatchable solutions, along with the joint venture partner Cordelio Power, and the Southwest Public Power Agency (SPPA), Inc., has officially announced the commercial operation of its Box Canyon Solar Project.
According to certain reports, Box Canyon Solar project happens to be a 300-megawatt utility-scale project, which is located in Pinal County, Arizona. Understood to be the largest renewable energy procurement in SPPA’s history, it is also the first project in the 2.5 GW Arizona portfolio, owned by BrightNight and Cordelio Power, to reach commercial operation.
“SPPA is thrilled to now be supplying its members with safe, clean, reliable, and affordable electricity from the Box Canyon Solar Project. From the very beginning, BrightNight worked to understand our long-term goals and successfully delivered a solution that meets the needs of our members and their customers, all on time and on budget,” said Dennis Delaney, Project Manager for SSPA..
Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper level, we begin from how this Box Canyon Solar Project really go the distance to validate BrightNight’s ability in terms of delivering utility-scale clean energy solutions across high-demand regions, while simultaneously maximizing beneficial community impact.
In fact, if we entrust an economic impact study conducted by Elliott Pollack and Associates, the project has already generated $47 million in economic impact for Pinal County during the construction period, and at the same time, created more than 300 American jobs.
Moving forward, the Box Canyon Solar Project is expected to generate an estimated $134 million in local economic benefits over the course of its operations. This it will do one the back of property taxes, wages, and more, bringing the total county-level economic contribution to over $180 million.
“We are delighted to partner with SPPA to help meet their power needs in a vibrant region undergoing rapid industrial growth and digital infrastructure expansion. At over 915,000 MWh of projected annual production, the Box Canyon Solar Project will provide reliable, clean and affordable energy for more than 40 years – generating local revenue, enabling continued economic growth in the region, and creating skilled American jobs,” said Martin Hermann CEO of BrightNight.
Apart from that, the stated project is poised to generate another $65 million in land lease payments to be allocated to the State of Arizona Land Trust over the lifetime of this project. As for the trust’s beneficiaries, they include K–12 and university education, state hospitals, and other critical public services.
In a separate community investment program, Box Canyon will also deploy a portion of the project’s proceeds to fund scholarships for 50 students, helping them complete Central Arizona College’s electrician program over the next five years.
Markedly enough, BrightNight and Cordelio Power further took this opportunity to announce equity investment with J.P. Morgan, through one of its affiliates.
Founded in 2018, BrightNight’s rise up the ranks stems from conceiving clean, dispatchable, and resilient power solutions. The company’s solutions, at present, are focused on designing, developing, and operating large-scale energy sites that, on their part, integrate utility-scale renewables, advanced gas generation, battery energy storage, and power-optimized hubs for digital infrastructure.
BrightNight’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider its industry-leading 35 GW portfolio of best-in-class power projects is supporting the fastest-growing energy markets and data center hubs across the U.S.
“The project is a perfect example of BrightNight’s 35-gigawatt portfolio across the United States, designed to meet urgent demand for reliable power in high-growth markets driven by industrialization, AI data centers, and electrification. Built in just 15 months, the Box Canyon project demonstrates BrightNight’s ability to deliver best-in-class, utility-scale projects with quality and speed to market,” said Hermann.
