PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that construction is now underway at the Camino Solar Project in Kern County, California. Camino Solar is Avangrid’s first photovoltaic project in California with a capacity of 57 MW (44 MWac).
“It is always exciting to see another important renewable energy project break ground,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “With this major milestone, we are one step closer to delivering clean solar energy in California to go along with our six wind energy facilities in the state. This is yet another example of our commitment to developing projects that create jobs, support the local community, and accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Camino Solar is expected to create more than 100 construction jobs and several permanent jobs once complete.
The site will include 105,000 solar panels that are expected to generate the same amount of energy used by about 14,000 U.S. homes each year. Camino Solar is adjacent to Avangrid’s 189 MW Manzana Wind Farm, which reached commercial operation in 2012. It is located on a combination of private land and more than 200 acres of public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
“Public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management provide sites for environmentally responsible renewable energy development such as the Camino Solar Project,” said BLM California Desert District Manager Shelly Lynch. “This project supports the nation's transition to a clean energy economy by expanding access to clean energy, increasing reliability for the state's power grid, creating jobs, and boosting local economies.”
The project is in an area scientifically analyzed and identified as suitable for clean energy development as part of the BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.
Avangrid is one of the nation’s largest renewable energy operators, with 8.7 GW of installed capacity.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
