Juice is flowing as major solar project finishes south of Maupin; development enough to power 40k homes
View of the Bakeoven Solar Project south of Maupin. Photo courtesy of Global Electric Inc.
The Dalles, Ore., Feb. 3, 2026 — Energy company Avangrid Inc. announced Tuesday that two adjacent utility-scale solar projects near Maupin are now operational, marking the first commercial solar facilities of their kind in the county and adding roughly 200 megawatts of alternating-current capacity to the regional power grid.
The projects — Daybreak Solar and Bakeoven Solar — together deliver 269 megawatts of direct-current capacity, or about 200 megawatts alternating current, according to the company. Power from the facilities is being delivered to Portland General Electric through its Green Future Impact program, which allows large industrial and municipal customers to procure new renewable energy resources without shifting additional costs to other ratepayers.
Based on average household electricity use in Oregon, the combined 200 megawatts of alternating-current capacity from the two projects is enough to supply electricity for roughly 40,000 residential homes annually.
Avangrid Chief Executive Officer José Antonio Miranda said the projects represent a major infrastructure investment in Wasco County, citing job creation and grid reliability benefits. Company officials estimate the facilities will generate about $40 million in local tax revenue over their operational life and support several permanent operations and maintenance jobs.
According to the Oregon Department of Energy, both facilities were approved through the state’s Energy Facility Siting Council process and could be built out across more than 3,000 acres and includes a 100-megawatt battery storage system, a collector substation, an operations and maintenance building, and an approximately 11-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line.
State records show the Energy Facility Siting Council approved a request for amendment in November 2021 that split the original Bakeoven approval into three separate projects — Bakeoven Solar, Daybreak Solar and Sunset Solar — while retaining shared infrastructure across the sites.
Avangrid said construction of the two facilities supported more than 300 construction jobs, primarily filled by local union labor. Contractor Global Electric Inc., which has worked on the Bakeoven site, reported scope that included inverter and transformer installation, photovoltaic module mounting, grounding systems, fiber and SCADA installation, and medium-voltage electrical work.
“Our region has a history of energy production, and now we are finding other ways to harness our abundant regional resources like the Eastern Oregon sunshine and Columbia Gorge Winds to meet growing demand from the new ways we are using electricity,” said Phil Brady, Wasco County Commissioner. “The Daybreak and Bakeoven facilities will help meet our growing demand while contributing to our local economy and supporting our local tax districts such as the Wasco County Library and the Deschutes Rim Health Clinic.”
Electricity from the projects is being procured through PGE’s Green Future Impact program, which serves large customers such as Intel seeking to meet renewable-energy and carbon-reduction goals. Madison West, Intel’s global head of sustainability, said the facilities support the company’s target of achieving 100% renewable electricity across its global operations by 2030.
Avangrid also said it is using sheep grazing at the sites as a vegetation-management strategy to reduce fire risk and maintenance needs. The company reported that approximately 3,000 sheep are being used at the two facilities under agreements with an Oregon sheep rancher.
Avangrid operates about 2.5 gigawatts of generating capacity in Oregon and employs roughly 375 workers statewide. The company opened a national training center in neighboring Sherman County in 2024 and operates more than 80 power projects nationwide with a combined capacity exceeding 10.5 gigawatts.
