Helios Infrastructure, a joint venture between Nationwide and Sol Systems, announced its acquisition of the largest solar power project in Louisiana.
The 50-megawatt system is located in West Baton Rouge Parish, and it is now owned and operated by Helios. This acquisition marks the largest single project investment for Helios to date. Entergy Louisiana is purchasing the energy produced by the project through a 20-year power purchase agreement.
“This is an important day for Nationwide as this project is a continuation of our broader effort, focused on ESG-related investments,” Solar Equity Portfolio Manager Clark Lloyd said in a prepared statement. “Sourcing projects that focus on clean energy and a sustainable future is not only a win for the community, but it allows us to fulfill our mission of protecting people, businesses and futures with extraordinary care.”
The project brought more than 350 construction and installation jobs to the area, and it will provide ongoing, positive benefits to the community—clean energy and approximately $6.4 million in tax revenue—over the next 30 years. The system is projected to offset the equivalent of nearly 19,000 passenger vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Sol Systems and Nationwide have financed over $700 million of U.S. solar projects since 2012. The partners created Helios in 2018 to own and operate an expanding portfolio of utility-scale assets that sell energy to utilities, municipal customers, and universities. Today, Helios owns and operates over 300 MW of commercial and utility-scale solar energy assets throughout the United States.
Entergy has built out a power generating portfolio among the cleanest in the nation. Entergy Louisiana has approximately 190 MW of renewable energy resources, including hydroelectric, biomass and waste heat recovery. In all, over the past two years more than 25% of the energy provided to Entergy Louisiana customers has come from carbon-free sources.
