October 5 (Renewables Now) – The Arkansas Public Service Commission has given the green light to the construction of a 250-MW solar park that will be owned by utility Entergy Arkansas and supply electricity for US Steel’s local operations.
The Driver Solar project was developed by Lightsource bp, the BP Plc (LON: BP) backed solar power business. It will be installed under a build-transfer agreement between the developer and the subsidiary of Entergy Corp (NYSE:ETR), the latter said on Tuesday.
To be installed near Osceola, in Arkansas’ Mississippi County, the photovoltaic (PV) farm is expected to generate enough electricity for over 40,000 homes, once in operation. It will be equipped with First Solar modules and tracking systems by Albuquerque-based Array Technologies.
The development and permitting phases of the project have been completed and construction is due to begin late in 2024. A portion of the plant’s output will go to power the manufacturing activities of US Steel’s nearby Big River Steel facility.
Energy Arkansas is delivering electricity to over 728,000 customers from nuclear, coal, natural gas, solar and hydropower generation. Around 60% of its fuel mix comes from nuclear. The utility aims to step up renewables deployment and replace some of its aging gas and all coal-fired resources by 2030.
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