April 17, 2024 - Where there's sunlight, there are boundless possibilities. Sunflower Electric Power Corp., Alluvial Power, National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO), and The Victory Electric Cooperative hosted more than 100 elected officials, media, and other guests on April 17 in Dodge City, Kan., for the official announcement of the 150-megawatt Boot Hill Solar Project.
Construction of the state’s largest solar facility by Sunflower’s partner, Alluvial Power, will begin later this year and is expected to be operational in 2026. Alluvial will design, own, and operate the facility, which will include approximately 300,000 solar panels on single-axis tracking.
“The Sunflower board analyzed the costs, risks, and benefits, ultimately determining that additional solar will complement our already diverse electric generation portfolio,” said Steve Epperson, Sunflower’s president and CEO.
Sunflower is a generation and transmission cooperative providing wholesale energy to its seven member distribution utilities in central and western Kansas. Sunflower’s members use the most electricity in July or August. Because this project will provide maximum output on the hottest days of summer when demand for electricity is at its highest and market energy prices can be volatile, energy from Boot Hill Solar will replace market energy, helping stabilize the cost of electricity for Sunflower’s member-utilities.
The strategic location of the project, one mile southeast of Dodge City, will also save on transmission infrastructure buildout and allow the facility to be operational sooner than other comparable projects.
“Sunflower’ member utilities will get 100% of the energy from the project. In totality, the value derived from energy, capacity, and transmission savings will help keep our members’ energy rates as affordable and stable as possible,” said Corey Linville, Sunflower’s COO and vice president of generation and power supply, “and that, of course, is part of our mission.”
The Boot Hill Solar Project will provide more than $4 million to Ford County during its first 10 years of operation and more than $1.5 million in local taxes every subsequent year it operates. In total, it is expected the project will contribute more than $50 million in direct payments to Ford County. The Boot Hill Solar Project will also provide more than $2 million to USD 443 during the first 10 years of operation, several permanent jobs, patrons for local business, and payments to participating landowners.
“As an elected official for Ford County, it is my responsibility to consider the larger picture and how projects will impact the county near-term and long-term,” said Chris Boys, Ford County commissioner. “After evaluating all the information presented on this project before and during the permitting process, I join my fellow commissioners in supporting this project and the benefits it will bring to Ford County.”
This project is Sunflower’s third solar facility. The first was the 20-megawatt Johnson Corner Solar facility, which came online in 2020 near Johnson City, Kan., and the second was the Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell Project—a 20-megawatt facility expected to be commercially available during the first half of 2025. NRCO, which Sunflower helped form in 2008, has assisted in the development of all three projects.
“This part of the state has an average of 256 days of sunshine annually. That’s good for ag production and also good for energy production,” said Sen. John Doll, R – District 39. “Continuing to be visionary about the way we do business and use our resources is essential to the vibrance and prosperity of southwest Kansas now and for generations to come.”
Shane Laws—CEO of Victory Electric, headquartered in Dodge City and one of Sunflower’s member-owners—also joined in supporting the project.
“You don’t have to spend much time here to know the cooperative spirit necessary to develop this region is alive and well. I’m proud to be a part of Dodge City, a part of Victory Electric, a part Sunflower, and a part of this project,” Laws said.