Last week Invenergy’s Hashknife Solar Energy Center broke ground in Joseph City on its latest project. According to developers, benefits for the community include up to 450 construction jobs and millions of dollars in local economic investment. The project is ready to begin project construction, which is estimated to last 18 to 24 months. The target operational date for the site to produce energy is 2027, with a project life of 20 years.
Hashknife Solar is Invenergy’s second solar energy facility to reach construction in Arizona, and its 13th project to successfully complete development in the state. Throughout its lifetime, the project will invest $49 million directly into Navajo County through local tax revenue.
Composed of two phases, Hashknife I (275 megawatts) and Hashknife II (200 megawatts), the completed site will provide enough electricity to power more than 110,000 American homes. This project will also include 475 megawatts of battery storage, which will bolster long-term grid reliability. Both phases are contracted with Arizona Public Service, ensuring that the energy benefits Arizonans.
Invenergy noted several factors in selecting a site in Navajo County including a verified strong solar resource, existing transmission lines limiting the need for new infrastructure, expansive ranchland and landowners who are excited to participate in the project, geography well-suited to solar construction and proximity to state highways and I-40.
It was also noted that to avoid and minimize impacts to wildlife and other natural resources, Invenergy’s in-house environmental compliance team worked with state and federal agencies and other interested stakeholders to site, build, and operate the facilities responsibly.
Regarding the impact to 3,000 to 4,000 acres of land involved in the project and roads being utilized, the company stated that all county roads and infrastructure will be left in the same or better condition than they were prior to their use for the construction. According to information provided by Invenergy, solar farms have a light impact on farmland and topsoil is left in place during construction and protected from erosion for the life of the project. When the project is decommissioned, the farmland will be returned to production after a rejuvenating rest for the soil.
Invenergy is the largest, privately held developer, owner and operator of sustainable energy solutions. A U.S. based company, Invenergy and its affiliated companies have successfully developed more than 30,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction, or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure, natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects. Its clean energy generation and storage facilities are located across America, Europe and Asia.
