Construction completed on solar project that will support Pueblo steel mill
Construction has been completed on the Bighorn Solar project in Pueblo, which will support the country’s first solar-powered steel mill at EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel.
The site’s construction contractor, McCarthy Building Companies, announced its completion Friday in a statement that noted the $285 million solar farm is expected to abate more than 433,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year — the equivalent of removing 92,100 cars from the road.
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The project began in 2019 when Xcel Energy, EVRAZ North America and Lightsource BP teamed up to develop the 300-megawatt solar farm to power the facility.
It was financed by Lightsource BP, which owns and operates Bighorn Solar and will sell the electricity it generates to Xcel, Colorado’s largest utility, under a 20-year purchasing agreement, which is set to expire in 2041.
The solar array will contribute to the Colorado Energy Plan’s goal of providing 55% renewable energy in the state by 2026 and reducing carbon emissions by 60%, the statement said.
The Bighorn Solar project includes more than 750,000 solar panels built on 1,800 acres of land at the steel mill property. EVRAZ's Pueblo facility is not only the nation’s first solar-powered steel mill but also has the largest on-site solar facility dedicated to a single customer.
In July, EVRAZ broke ground on a massive expansion project that would add a $500 million long rail mill in Pueblo.
Following the long rail mill expansion, EVRAZ is expected to process more than a billion pounds of steel each year into tens of millions of feet of rail for replacing and building train tracks in North America, the statement said.
The nearby solar array will reportedly power more than 90% of that mill.
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The general contractor for the long rail mill expansion project is Wanzek Construction from Fargo, N.D., which currently has more than 400 people working on the project but expects that number to double later this year when equipment needs to be installed, the statement said.
According to EVRAZ, construction on the rail mill is about 15% complete. The extension is scheduled to open in late 2022 or early 2023.
Chieftain reporter Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Bighorn Solar project that will support Pueblo steel mill completed
