What is the timeline for the 30 MW solar farm?
MPW is actively pursuing high-volume, long-term energy commitments to help make development of a utility-scale solar project a reality. A solar farm in Muscatine could be in service as early as 2024. Due to the scale of this project, global supply chain issues, and federal solar panel tariff investigations, timing is subject to change.
Activity on this project started in early 2021. MPW completed and published a Request for Proposals (RFP) in March 2021. Proposals were reviewed by MPW Staff and industry consultants, with five developers providing presentations of their full proposals to the selection team during the first week July 2021. PPA negotiations have been ongoing, and Staff are still working toward a signed agreement with a developer.
This project is expected to interconnect to MPW’s transmission system at 69,000 volts. To do this, MPW is obligated to register and apply for the upcoming Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)’s Definitive Planning Phase (DPP) 2021 planning cycle. At the June 2021 Board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a project to cover the application fee, study deposits, and milestone capacity payments for this MISO DPP study. MISO’s DPP study process determines project impact and costs to the transmission system. Any improvement costs identified by MISO are the responsibility of MPW and could impact this project’s future. With several delays due to a significant number of applications to review and study, MPW’s application is still under review.