RICHLAND, Wash. — Richland officials are considering a second phase of expansion at the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage & Training Project.

A draft proposal going before the Richland Utility Advisory Committee and City Council calls for a 25-year power purchase agreement beginning in the summer of 2027. The next step is for the Richland City Council to review the lease and power purchase agreements in June.

Clint Whitney, Richland’s energy services director, said the plan centers on a developer looking at the current facility and a larger buildout.

“What we’re looking at is a developer that’s considering purchasing the facility and the existing infrastructure, and then expanding it from 3.2 megawatts, adding an additional 10 megawatts of solar,” Whitney said .

City documents said Whetstone Power is evaluating the site for a possible acquisition and expansion project. The current Horn Rapids site covers about 20 acres, if approved, it would grow to about 70 acres.

Whitney said the project would give the city more clean renewable energy and help with future requirements.

“It’s more about having a diversification of a resource that helps reduce our reliance on Bonneville and it also helps meet our regulatory requirements in the future,” Whitney said.

According to Whitney, the city would not be paying for the installed equipment itself. 

“The city’s role in this would be to potentially own the lease for the site, which helps us control the site in the future,” Whitney said. “And then the financial obligation would be to purchase the power that’s generated, not the infrastructure that’s installed.” 

Whitney said the developer hopes to begin construction as early as July. He said the expanded solar facility could be expected to be fully operational by the end of 2027.

More information about the current Horn Rapids Solar, Storage & Training Project can be found here.