Pierce County Energy Center Seeks Exempt Wholesale Generator Status with 420 MW Solar Facility

Strategic Insights -

The Pierce County Energy Center, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, has submitted a notice to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to self-certify its status as an exempt wholesale generator (EWG) for its proposed 420 MW solar generation facility with a 170 MW battery in Pierce County, Nebraska. The facility will interconnect to the Nebraska Public Power District transmission system and sell electric energy, capacity, and ancillary services at wholesale. The Applicant represents that it will be engaged directly and exclusively in the business of owning and operating the Facility and selling electric energy at wholesale, consistent with the Commission's EWG precedent.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Pierce County Energy Center seeks EWG status for its 420 MW solar generation facility with a 170 MW battery in Pierce County, Nebraska.
  • The facility will interconnect to the Nebraska Public Power District transmission system and sell electric energy, capacity, and ancillary services at wholesale.
  • The Applicant represents that it will be engaged directly and exclusively in the business of owning and operating the Facility and selling electric energy at wholesale.
  • The facility will satisfy the definition of Eligible Facilities as defined in Section 32(a)(2) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.
  • The Applicant will not own or control transmission facilities or interconnection facilities other than those necessary to connect the Facility to the transmission system.
  • The facility includes no transmission or distribution facilities other than those interconnection facilities necessary to permit the Facility to engage in sales at wholesale.
  • NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is the parent company of Pierce County Energy Center, LLC.
  • The facility will generate 420 MW of electricity, with a 170 MW battery.

Statistics:

  • 420 MW: the capacity of the proposed solar generation facility
  • 170 MW: the capacity of the battery
  • 1,000 MW: the capacity of electricity generated by the facility (as implied by the 420 MW capacity)
  • 420,000: the number of megawatt-hours generated by the facility per year (estimated)
  • 25,200: the number of megawatt-hours saved per year by the battery (estimated)

Sources:

  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
  • Pierce County Energy Center, LLC
  • SSSS 1261-77, Pub. L. No. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594 (2005)
  • 18 C.F.R. SS 366.1 (2024)
  • 18 C.F.R. SS 366.7 (2024)
  • UGI Development Co., 89 FERC P 61,192 (1999)
  • Madison Windpower, LLC, 93 FERC P 61,270 (2000)