Irish renewable energy generation developer DP Energy has competed the sale of Saamis Solar Park to the City of Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada.
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has approved the transfer of the 325MW solar farm, which is the largest urban solar project in North America.
DP Energy secured the development rights to the site in 2017 before obtaining a development permit in 2021.
The AUC granted approval last year for the company to construct and operate the project.
With the deal, the City of Medicine Hat has acquired a 'ready-to-build' solar project with the necessary planning and environmental approvals in place.
The city now intends to seek an amendment to allow it to construct the project in phases. The first phase would add 75MW of additional generation capacity to its existing fleet of generating units.
Situated in the north-west of Canada's sunniest city, when fully built, Saamis Solar Park is expected to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of approximately 100,000 households and offset around 350,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
The project will be comprised of more than 600,000 solar panels and create "a significant number" of jobs during the construction, operation, and decommissioning phases.
“As the largest urban solar development in North America, Saamis Solar Park is a project we are proud to have developed," said Damian Bettles, head of development in Canada for DP Energy.
"With the sale to the City of Medicine Hat, it adds a dual aspect to the success story. Not only is it a productive use of a large area of contaminated land, it now also has the potential to contribute to the City’s energy transition to clean, renewable power.
"DP Energy are pleased to have worked with the City of Medicine Hat and with Viterra, owner of the development land, on this successful project and thank them both for their involvement.”
DP Energy's development portfolio in Canada includes a range of solar, onshore wind, storage and offshore wind projects across the country, including the 400MW Nova East Wind project.
The Cork-headquartered company has enabled 1.6W of renewable energy generation across 22 infrastructure projects to date.
Currently, DP Energy has a 4.5GW pipeline of renewable energy projects across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Canada, and the firm is also active in southern Africa.
Its pipeline of Irish projects include the 40MW Aries Wind Farm in Co. Mayo and additional early-stage wind farms; a number of 20-70MW solar projects; and early-stage projects involving non-grid-dependent renewable energy solutions for large energy users.
The company is also actively exploring offshore renewables around Ireland's coast, including bottom wind, floating wind and ocean energy technologies.
Last year, DP Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with a large utility generator to explore using green gasses to power existing and future electricity generating stations.
The firm is also researching battery storage and opportunities in international markets.
