Salt Lake City-based energy developer rPlus Energies has announced the start of commercial operations for the Green River Energy Center in central Utah’s Emery County.

The 400 MW project is the largest solar and storage facility within PacifiCorp’s six-state service territory, and comes complete with a 1.6 GWh battery project. The project highlights the Beehive State’s growing role in America’s solar landscape, following Gov. Spencer Cox’s introduction of the Operation Gigawatt initiative in 2024.

“Operation Gigawatt is about ensuring Utah has the reliable, homegrown energy needed to power opportunity for generations,” Cox says. “Green River Energy Center represents the kind of large-scale energy investment we need to deliver reliable energy, support rural Utah, and help power the next generation of prosperity across our state.”

The new energy center will generate more than $55 million in property taxes for local schools and public service organizations, rPlus officials say. The construction of the project also employed hundreds of workers at peak construction, including a number of local contractors.

Growing Utah’s energy landscape

With nearly 1 million solar panels and 484 battery units, the commissioning of the energy center included a ribbon cutting and an on-site ceremony held on June 22. Project partners, community members, and Cox himself attended the ceremony, where partners announced a $45,000 donation to the nearby Ferron Fire Department.

“This project represents years of collaboration and commitment from all of the project partners,” says Luigi Resta, rPlus Energies president and CEO. “Together, we believed in the vision, and today Green River Energy Center is delivering reliable power and real value to families across the American West.”

The project will fuel the energy future of Utah at large, says Sen. John Curtis. As energy needs continue to spike around the country, Utah and the American West Coast will play a key role in new capacity going forward.

“Meeting America’s growing energy needs will require an all-of-the-above approach, and Green River Energy Center is an important example of that effort in action,” Curtis says. “This investment strengthens our energy infrastructure, supports Utah workers and communities, and helps ensure reliable, affordable power for families and businesses across the West.”

The Green River Energy Center has already received both national and local recognition, including Project Finance International’s ‘Renewables Deal of the Year’ award for the Americas. The project has also won the Emery County Business Chamber’s ‘Energy Company of the Year’ award in 2024.

Tags: project, rPlus Energies, Utah