Dec. 10—SOLWAY — Solway Solar, a proposed 100,000 solar panel generation facility by Otter Tail Power Company, is projected to power 9,000 homes once complete.
On Dec. 9, Otter Tail Power advanced their plans of building Solway Solar in Lammers Township outside of Solway by contacting the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to determine if the costs associated with Solway Solar and Abercrombie Solar — a second, larger solar facility in North Dakota — are eligible for cost recovery.
Now, depending on the timing of project approvals, Solway Solar is expected to be fully operational sometime in 2026.
“This location offers an opportunity to add solar generation where transmission interconnection facilities already exist, which helps keep costs low for our customers,” said Otter Tail Power President Tim Rogelstad.
Otter Tail Power estimates the facility will generate $4.2 million in local and state tax benefits throughout the estimated 35-year lifespan of the facility while creating 70 construction jobs during the peak of the construction period, according to a release.
The two solar generation facilities combined serve as a way to meet customer’s future energy needs.
“These economic solar facilities fit the requirements of our recently approved Minnesota Integrated Resource Plan,” said Rogelstad. “Combined with our existing low-cost generation resources, they’ll help us continue to provide cost-effective, reliable electricity to our customers.”
Otter Tail Power’s Integrated Resource Plan outlines the combination of resources the company will use to meet its customer’s energy needs during the next 15 years.
“We expect that 57% of our energy generation will come from renewable resources by 2030,” Rogelstad added, “while ensuring electric service continues to be safe, reliable, and economical.”
Otter Tail Power Company, a subsidiary of investor-owned Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq Global Select Market: OTTR), is headquartered in Fergus Falls. The company generates, transmits and distributes electricity to approximately 133,700 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.