2.2 million solar panels, eight miles long, and one mile wide are the dimensions of a newly proposed solar farm just south of Towaoc, Colorado, in the heart of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation.
Tribal officials worked with the international renewable energy company Canigou group to plan the Sun Bear Solar Farm. Officials say the project will create over 500 local jobs for electricians and laborers.
Officials are planning to break ground on the construction of the Sun Bear solar farm later in 2024, with the goal of producing electricity in 2026 - some 756 megawatts of AC power annually.
Canigou Group’s director, Justin Passfield, said the project will cost over $1 billion. Passfield said electricity generated from the solar farm will connect to the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) power line. Still, it’s unclear what regional entities Canigou will sell the electricity to.
“We're thinking about the power needs within Colorado,” said Passfield, “but also, it makes sense not to transmit power too far from where you are. Having said that, we're going to be producing a large amount of power. So I'm not sure that all of it will be able to be consumed within Colorado.”
Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart is excited about job opportunities for Ute Mountain Ute tribal members, and the opportunity for the tribe to become a significant player in renewable energy.
“We, as the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, had been a fossil fuel tribe with oil and gas for a long time, probably over 50 years. Today, with the changes in legislation, global warming, and climate change, you can see the impact of what's happening to our world. So renewable is the new future right now,” said Heart.
