EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District commissioners will consider purchasing the electricity produced at a proposed solar farm between the Grant County International Airport and Rocky Ford. 

Under the agreement with Quincy Solar, the PUD would receive all the electricity generated by the project. It's planned to produce 120 megawatts of power. The contract would run for 20 years.  

Rich Flanigan, PUD chief commercial officer, said the agreement helps meet two goals, one for additional power generation and one for state-mandated power generation sources. 

“This solar does help us as our load continues to increase,” he said. “We need it for that, but it also provides additional energy in the summertime.”  

The Washington Legislature has established targets for electrical generation, mandating that a portion of it must come from sources that don’t produce carbon. Solar power fits that criteria, Flanigan said.  

The PUD already chas ontracts for generation from wind and solar sources, which help it meet mandated targets. Additional solar capacity will come in handy in a year when power generated at Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams is reduced due to lower-than-normal water flow in the Columbia River, he said.  

“The solar actually is a little bit of a hedge against low water years because you get quite a bit of energy. It’s energy that you can (use and) not have to have as much water,” Flanigan said.  

The contract would start in October 2027 and the PUD would pay about $70 to $72 per megawatt hour. The PUD pays about $25 to $30 per megawatt hour for generation from its two dams, he said.  

“We’ve actually seen prices increase for solar over the last five years (due to) inflation and tariffs that have been put into place,” Flanigan said. “Also, it’s a little more expensive in Washington state because (of the state-mandated generation goals) and the contracting requirements.” 

The PUD has established the goal of getting 300 megawatts of electrical generation from solar power by 2027.  

The PUD advertised for proposals for projects for alternative energy sources last year, giving respondents the option of just selling power to the PUD or making the PUD part owner. Of the 82 respondents, 18 offered ownership deals. The rest were for power sales only, Flanigan said.  

Quincy Solar offered either power sales only or a stake for the PUD in the project, Flanigan said. It was one of six selected for further analysis. The PUD already had an agreement with one of the six for solar power and opted for the Quincy Solar project. 

It’s close to existing PUD and Bonneville Power Administration power lines, he said, which means it will not require new power lines to be constructed.