Jun 11, 2025 11:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time

KERN COUNTY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it has achieved commercial operations at its Camino Solar project in Kern County, California. The 57 MWdc (44 MWac) project, Avangrid’s seventh energy facility in California, is currently providing power to approximately 14,000 homes. Camino represents new domestic energy capacity and is helping to meeting surging electricity demand. According to a recent U.S. National Power Demand Study by S&P Global, energy demand in the U.S. could rise by as much as 50% by 2040, driven largely by new data centers.

“The successful completion of Camino Solar marks another important milestone in Avangrid’s commitment to creating long-term value for communities through job creation and economic growth, and by delivering energy solutions that meet America’s growing energy needs,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “New energy generation projects like Camino are helping to meet rising energy needs, improve the reliability of regional electric grids, and deliver sustained economic growth.

The construction of the project, which consists of 105,000 solar panels, supported approximately 100 construction jobs, nearly all filled with local union workers.

"LiUNA! Local 220 worked closely with Avangrid and its contractors on this project and we are happy to see that it is complete," said Hertz Ramirez, Business Manager for Local 220. "This effort brought meaningful, union careers to local Apprentices and Journeymen right here in Kern County, offering not just great wages, but strong benefits like healthcare, vacation pay, pension and an annuity."

“The completion of Avangrid’s Camino Solar project marks a proud moment for our union,” said Brian Holt, Business Manager and Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 428. “Our members brought skill, commitment, and craftsmanship to every stage of the project. This facility isn’t just generating reliable energy—it’s generating good jobs, strong benefits, and meaningful career paths for people in our community. Projects like this help power a more sustainable future, both environmentally and economically.”

Camino is expected to generate about $15 million in state and local tax revenue during its lifetime, helping to fund a variety of public services, especially education. It will also pay about $150,000 in annual lease payments to project landowners. Camino was built partially on public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Avangrid now has seven energy projects in California ranging from San Diego County to the Bay Area and a combined capacity of about 600 MW. This is enough generating capacity to power about 150,000 U.S homes annually. The company employs 44 people in the state. Avangrid’s California facilities contributed over $7.5 million in state and local taxes last year which support a variety of public services. Additionally, the company’s projects paid nearly $6 million in lease payments to participating landowners in California last year, representing supplementary income for the community.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $48 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates 80 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit http://www.avangrid.com.


Contacts

Media:
Keaton Thomas
Keaton.thomas@avangrid.com
503-956-9621