The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency (KyMEA) and Ashwood Solar I LLC, a joint venture between MAP Energy and Open Road Renewables , implemented an agreement on Aug. 23 to bring a new solar power plant to Kentucky.
The plant will be located in Western Kentucky on an estimated 800 acres and will produce 86 megawatts at maximum output. In late 2022, when the project is placed into service, it is expected to produce almost 200 million kilowatt-hours of electrical energy annually.
The agreement between KyMEA and Ashwood Solar calls for KyMEA to purchase 62.5% of the energy produced by the project over the 20-year term of the agreement, KyMEA noted in a news release
The energy purchased by KyMEA from the solar project will supply approximately 8% of the energy needed each year by residents and businesses served by the Cities of Bardwell, Falmouth, Madisonville, Paris, Providence, the Frankfort Plant Board, the Barbourville Utility Commission, and the Corbin City Utilities Commission. These systems are members of KyMEA’s All Requirements Project and KyMEA will begin supplying the All Requirements Project Members in May 2019. Owensboro Municipal Utilities, the Benham Plant Board, and the City of Berea are also members of KyMEA, which was formed in 2015.
MAP Energy, through its joint venture with Open Road Renewables, unveiled the development of the Ashwood Solar Project in 2015. MAP Energy invests in the development of renewable energy projects and has funded more than 10,000 megawatts of operating wind and solar generating capacity across the U.S.
Open Road Renewables is a utility-scale renewable energy development company focused on deploying least-cost renewable energy throughout the U.S.
