Chanute’s energy portfolio just got greener. A new 6-megawatt solar farm at 4302 S. Plummer is now online and producing energy.
Evergy will own and operate the facility, while the City of Chanute has agreed to purchase power directly from the site for at least the next 30 years. The city has the option to purchase the facility after six years.
Evergy made a $15 million investment in the project, according to the Chanute Tribune. The energy produced by the facility’s 12,000 panels will power approximately 1,888 homes in Chanute.
The solar facility is located on 47 acres of city-owned land. Construction took about a year, said John Bridson, Evergy’s Senior Vice President of Generation. Chanute’s city council agreed to the plan in April 2023.
“We still own the land,” said Brandon Westerman, Director of Electric and Gas Operations for the City of Chanute. “Beforehand, it was just a hay meadow. But we saw a good opportunity to partner with Evergy to produce solar. Evergy pays for all the installation costs and maintenance.”
“I want to say the energy rate is about $37 per megawatt,” Chanute City Manager Todd Newman told the Tribune. “It’s a great deal for our city.”
Like Iola, Chanute owns and operates its electric generation and distribution systems.
