The Yucaipa Valley Water District (YVWD) Board of Directors approved a contract with ENGIE North America for a customized solar, storage, and microgrid project. YVWD will prioritize the adoption of clean-powered energy to improve its water energy nexus at two of its most critical locations, the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Filtration Facility, and the Wochholz Regional Water Recycling Facility.

The combined project includes 7.4 MW of solar, a 3.3 MW/13 MWh energy storage system, and 3.2 MW of natural gas gensets and microgrid controllers. YVWD's program is expected to save $73 million over the life of the program and the District will receive nearly seven million dollars in incentives under California's Self Generation Incentive Program. ENGIE North America will build, own, and operate the systems as well as sell energy and energy services through a 28-year power purchase agreement with a fixed price.

The YVWD manages more than 220 miles of drinking water pipelines and provides a combination of water, sewer, and recycled water connections to over 22,000 ratepayers in the Inland Empire. The program will greatly improve the District's capacity to serve residents and keep rates stable while hedging against rising energy costs. The program is designed to meet the District's long-term resiliency goals and ensure safe, reliable power to the District's key facilities during public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events.