Trent River Solar project in Pollocksville operational

By Staff Report, posted Jul 15, 2021 on BizFayetteville.com

**The Trent River Solar project in Pollocksville has begun generating power, according to Pine Gate Renewables. (Photo published with permission of Pine Gate Renewables)**

Pine Gate Renewables’ Trent River Solar project in Pollocksville is online and producing clean energy, according to a prepared statement from the company.

“We’re thrilled to bring low cost, clean power options to the local residents and businesses of Jones County,” said Ben Catt, CEO of Pine Gate Renewables. “It’s exciting to see such a big project like Trent River Solar come to life.”

Duke Energy’s Competitive Procurement of Renewable Energy (CPRE) program has awarded the 108 megawatt project its 20-year power purchase agreement through.

“This is another testament to Blue Ridge Power’s team of in-house experts, who conducted all the engineering, procurement and construction for this project,” Catt said.

The project, which broke ground in July 2020, features 832,170 solar panels over 725 acres, giving it the ability to provide power to more than 16,000 homes a year, according to Pine Gate’s media statement. The company said that’s “equivalent to removing 134,094 tons of greenhouse gas emissions or 148 million pounds of coal burned.”

Pine Gate Renewables has 36 solar projects in North Carolina either under construction or already in operation. Silver Pine Energy Holdings and Pine Gate Renewables are joint venture partners for the project.

Press material submitted to the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal stated that Pine Gate Renewables manages 770 megawatts of “operational assets, with more than 12 gigawatts in active development and has raised over $2 billion in project capital to date.”

In May, Pine Gate Renewables launched Blue Ridge Power, an engineering, procurement and construction company to house Pine Gates operations. At the same time, the new EPC company also acquired the solar division of Fayetteville-based Horne Brothers Construction, one of the largest mechanical and civil contractors in the U.S.

Find more information at pinegaterenewables.com.