- Daybreak Solar and Bakeoven Solar, first commercial-scale solar projects in Wasco County, Oregon, deliver combined capacity of 269 MWdc (200 MWac)
- Projects deliver energy to Portland General Electric through Green Future Impact Program, a voluntary program designed to support large industrial customers like Intel
Photo: Bakeoven Solar with Oregon’s Mt. Hood in the background
Avangrid, a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, has achieved commercial operations at two new solar projects in Wasco County, Oregon – Daybreak Solar and Bakeoven Solar – both of which will deliver energy to the Portland General Electric (PGE) power grid. Daybreak Solar, with a capacity of 189 Megawatts DC (140 MWac), and Bakeoven Solar, with a capacity of 80 MWdc (60 MWac), represent new, domestic capacity that will support growing demand for electricity and bolster the region’s energy availability and reliability.
'Completing these two projects marks the latest milestone in a pivotal investment in Wasco County, bringing new jobs, modern infrastructure, and a more resilient power grid for Oregon,' said Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda. 'Together with PGE and Intel, we’re delivering a new source of reliable power that will energize Oregon’s communities and industries for decades to come.'
Avangrid installed a combined 650,000 solar panels at Daybreak and Bakeoven, which are located adjacent to each other. Together, the projects are expected to produce hundreds of gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, strengthening grid reliability and supporting growing commercial and industrial demand. Construction supported over 300 construction jobs, filled mainly by local union labor.
Avangrid estimates the two projects will generate approximately $40 million in tax revenue over their life span. The projects also support several permanent, full-time jobs for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the facilities, adding to the local employment base. Daybreak and Bakeoven are the first commercial-scale solar projects built in Wasco County.
'Our region has a history of energy production, and now we are finding other ways to harness our abundant regional resources like the Eastern Oregon sunshine and Columbia Gorge Winds to meet growing demand from the new ways we are using electricity,' said Phil Brady, Wasco County Commissioner. 'The Daybreak and Bakeoven facilities will help meet our growing demand while contributing to our local economy and supporting our local tax districts such as the Wasco County Library and the Deschutes Rim Health Clinic.'
The facilities are delivering electricity to PGE’s grid through Green Future Impact (GFI), a voluntary program designed to help large municipal, commercial, and industrial customers like Intel meet their ambitious sustainability and carbon reduction ambitions through the development of new clean energy facilities in the region. PGE’s GFI program lets large customers choose non-emitting energy without increasing costs for other customers. All customers benefit from the energy, but program participants pay the extra cost of the clean energy they select. Avangrid is the leading supplier of electricity to PGE’s GFI program through projects like Bakeoven Solar, Daybreak Solar, Pachwáywit Fields Solar, and Tower Solar, which is currently under construction in Morrow County.
'By strengthening the energy infrastructure our operations depend on, these projects help meet growing electricity demand, advance Intel’s goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity across our global operations by 2030, and deliver lasting economic and environmental benefits for Wasco County and the broader region,' said Madison West, Global Head of Sustainability, Intel. 'Daybreak and Bakeoven demonstrate the kind of regional collaboration needed to bring new, utility-scale renewable capacity online - supporting local jobs, improving grid resilience, and helping ensure Oregon is well positioned for future growth.'
Furthering its commitment to supporting the local and regional economies, Avangrid has partnered with a fifth-generation Oregon sheep rancher to graze approximately 3,000 sheep at both projects, a vegetation management method known as Solar Grazing. Sheep are good at moving around solar panels to eat grass and weeds, limiting vegetation growth and cutting down on wildfire risks during the Pacific Northwest’s hot and dry summers. This represents an expansion of Avangrid’s solar grazing operation already in place at two other solar projects in the region.
Avangrid has a significant presence in Oregon, operating 2.5 Gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity in the state, maintaining a large corporate office in Portland, and supporting 375 jobs. In 2024, Avangrid opened its National Training Center in nearby Sherman County, Oregon, demonstrating a deeper commitment to the region and workforce development. Avangrid operates more than 80 projects across the nation with a total generating capacity of over 10.5 GW.
Source: Avangrid
