Platte River Power Authority, a U.S.-based power utility company, has issued a request for proposals (RfP) to acquire 250 MW of solar and/or co-located battery storage projects.

The last date to submit bids is February 18, 2022.

The company said it prefers utility-scale project sizes in the 100 MW range and distribution projects up to 25 MW. It prefers up to 125 MW of projects on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado and 125 MW of projects on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The distribution projects up to 25 MW should be located in the community.

The power utility will acquire projects that are expected to start power delivery on January 1, 2025, with guaranteed commercial operation dates no later than June 1, 2025. If the pricing is favorable, it would consider power delivery dates earlier than January 1, 2025.

For power purchase agreements (PPAs), the company will accept a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 25 years. The PPAs are expected to be signed by November 18, 2022.

To participate in the competitive bidding process, bidders must specify their experience in developing solar and solar plus battery storage projects. They must provide the list of their completed solar and solar plus battery storage in the U.S. and the Rocky Mountains region in the past five years.

According to the RfP, bidders should include a detailed schedule and phasing of the project facility, including engineering, material procurement, construction, installation, interconnection, commissioning, and project testing.

The company seeks a maximum of 550,000 MWh of solar energy deliveries annually, equivalent to the output of 250 MW of solar power projects assuming an annual capacity factor of 25%.

According to a report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the pipeline of solar capacity in the U.S. at the end of 2020 was around 460 GW. Of this, 160 GW or 34% of projects include battery storage facilities.

The U.S. solar market installed a record 5.7 GW of solar capacity in Q2 2021, a 45% year-over-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period last year, Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie said in a joint report.