Enlight Renewable Energy’s US subsidiary Clēnera has signed a new power purchase agreement (PPA) with Arizona Public Service (APS) for its Snowflake A solar project.

The 20-year busbar fixed price PPA encompasses the project’s 600MW of solar generation capacity and 1.9GWh of energy storage availability.

The Snowflake A project is located near Holbrook in the northeastern part of Arizona, an area characterised by very high solar irradiation.

The project is currently in the final stages of pre-construction permitting.

It is expected to reach ready-to-build (RTB) status in the third quarter of 2025 and commence commercial operation (COD) in mid-2027, subject to all necessary permits.

The PPA stipulates that if a certain required permit is not obtained by 1 March 2025, Clēnera is entitled to terminate the PPA without any material termination costs.

Snowflake A is a key project in Enlight's portfolio, notable for its scale and profitability, and marks the initial phase of the Snowflake development.

A second phase is currently under development, which will increase the solar generation capacity by 650MW and add 2.1GWh of energy storage capacity.

This development forms part of Enlight's "Connect and Expand" strategy, which aims to maximise existing interconnection infrastructure by increasing generation capacity.

This approach reduces the costs and risks of developing new sites, boosting the efficiency of renewable energy deployment.

Enlight US general manager Ilan Goren said: “The signing of this PPA agreement represents a major milestone for Enlight and Clēnera. We currently operate two sites in the western US, having recently achieved COD at Atrisco Solar in September 2024.

“In addition, we are now beginning construction on three additional new projects in the US, which are expected to be complete by 2025-2026.

“Snowflakes’ PPA is a further step in the execution of our rapid growth plan for the US market, demonstrating the ability to achieve significant progress in the development of the large and high-quality projects in our Advanced Development portfolio.”

In October 2023, Israel’s Enlight Renewable Energy launched commercial operations at its Genesis Wind project in the northern region of the country.