The Olas S-thoñ Solar Project, the first utility-scale solar development within the Gila River Indian Community, is moving to construction.
White Clay Industries and US Solar have been selected by the Gila River Indian Community Utility
Authority (GRICUA) to build the 20-megawatt project near the Lone Butte Substation.
“This is GRICUA’s 20-megawatt solar project,” GRICUA General Manager Ken Stock said
at the project’s groundbreaking and dedication ceremony. “It has been in the works for
many years and is finally coming to fruition. The Olas S-thoñ Solar Project is the first of its
kind in GRIC, it’s a large utility scale solar farm.”
The project was formerly known as the Lone Butte Solar Project and was originally developed for GRICUA by Clenera.
Olas S-thoñ is owned by GRICUA, the Community-owned public power utility established
in 1998. The project’s name was given by the Community: in the O’otham language, olas
means round or circular, and s-thoñ means hot.
GRICUA held the project’s groundbreaking and dedication ceremony in fall 2025.
Construction is expected to begin this fall, with commercial operation expected in summer
2027. White Clay Industries will share updates as the event approaches.
“The Gila River Indian Community and GRICUA carried this project from vision to
ownership, and Ken Stock and his team have set a standard for what a Community-owned
utility can do,” said Douglas Lee, founder and CEO of White Clay Industries. “White Clay
Industries was selected by GRICUA to build, and we take that selection seriously. We are
building alongside US Solar, under the Community’s TERO [ Tribal Employment Rights
Ordinance] for a utility the Community owns and operates itself. The ownership is the story here, and it belongs to the Community.”
“We are proud to work alongside GRICUA and White Clay Industries as we help advance
the Community's vision for energy sovereignty, economic development, and lasting
sustainability," said US Solar President Reed Richerson.
Construction hiring will follow the Gila River Indian Community’s Tribal Employment Rights
Ordinance, with preference for Community members and other Native American
workers across all open construction positions. Positions will be posted through the
Community’s Tribal Employment Rights Office.
“I’m proud to be a part of such a milestone project for GRICUA and the Community,” said
Chris Miller, GRICUA Director of Operations. “This project is the culmination of years of
development and planning by the GRICUA team and the Community.”
Olas S-thoñ builds on the Community’s national clean-energy leadership, including the
solar-over-canal project energized on the Community’s Casa Blanca Canal in 2024.
The project reflects more than a decade of the Community’s work. Discussions began in
2014.
GRICUA selected Clenera through a competitive process in 2018 to develop the
project, and in 2024 acquired the development from Clenera, enabling Community
ownership. Through a subsequent construction solicitation, GRICUA selected White Clay
Industries and US Solar to build it.
GRICUA is the Community-owned public power utility of the Gila River Indian Community, established in 1998.
GRICUA provides electric service to homes, businesses, and Community enterprises across the Community.
White Clay Industries is a Native-owned energy development company based in Naytahwaush, Minnesota. Founded by an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, WCI
develops solar, battery storage, and energy infrastructure projects in partnership with Tribal
Nations and their enterprises.
Founded in 2014, US Solar is a developer, owner, operator, and financier of solar generation and
storage projects with a focus on emerging state markets and community solar programs. The company has more than 350 megawatts of completed projects and over 2 gigawatts in development or construction.
