ContourGlobal has commissioned the 185-megawatt-peak (MWp) Black Hollow Sun 1 solar facility in Colorado, marking the company’s first operational renewable energy plant in the United States.
The project, located near the Town of Severance in Northern Colorado, is supplying electricity to Platte River Power Authority, a community-owned utility serving Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park, and Longmont.
“The start of operations at Black Hollow Sun 1 is a pivotal moment for ContourGlobal, marking our first US renewable plant to reach operational state, and especially meaningful as we celebrate our 20th anniversary since the company was incorporated in the US,” said Antonio Cammisecra, chief executive of ContourGlobal.
Black Hollow Sun 1 is the first phase of a two-stage development. The second phase, Black Hollow Sun 2, is currently under construction and is expected to add 139MWp when completed by the end of 2026. Combined, the two phases will form a 324MWp solar complex—the largest in Northern Colorado and Platte River’s largest contracted solar resource to date.
Once fully operational, the site is expected to produce approximately 608 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually—enough to power more than 73,000 homes—while offsetting an estimated 450,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
“This project, together with Black Hollow Sun 2, exemplifies our strategy to deliver clean, reliable power while strengthening our commitment to local communities and partners such as Platte River Power Authority,” Cammisecra said.
The project incorporates American-made solar modules from Qcells, which also serves as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
ContourGlobal, which is marking its 20th year in the U.S. market, said its domestic pipeline includes an additional 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar photovoltaic capacity and 300 megawatts (MW) of battery energy storage, spanning from late-stage development to advanced construction.
