# McFarland A Solar and Storage

CAISO Batteries, Solar Photovoltaic · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/mcfarland-a-solar-and-storage

McFarland A Solar and Storage is a hybrid solar and battery storage facility with 300 MW of EIA-reported total operating capacity and 400 MWh of reported storage energy capacity in Yuma County, Arizona, registered as EIA Plant ID 66636. AES Clean Energy owns and operates the plant, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation. AES described McFarland A Solar-plus-Storage as one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects in Arizona when it was completed in 2023. Its grid role is hybrid solar PV generation paired with battery storage; the cited records do not establish a more specific baseload, peaking, or arbitrage designation.

## Key facts

- Technology: Batteries, Solar Photovoltaic
- Power capacity: 300 MW
- Energy capacity: 400 MWh
- Operating status: operating

## Grid and market context

- ISO/RTO: CAISO
- Balancing authority: CISO / CAISO
- Substation: Hoodoo Wash 500 kV Switchyard
- Point of interconnection: Hoodoo Wash 500 kV Switchyard
- Transmission owner: Arizona Public Service Company (APS); the Hoodoo Wash Switchyard is co-owned by APS, SDG&E, and IID.
- Interconnection voltage: 500 kV

## Source-backed facts

- Owner logo domain: aes.com — Source · confidence: medium
- Owner logo domain: aes.com — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"66636","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"MCFRA","system":"EIA generator ID — solar photovoltaic"},{"value":"BESS","system":"EIA generator ID — battery storage"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO and balancing authority"},{"value":"1171","system":"CAISO interconnection queue — shared McFarland Solar A/B interconnection"},{"value":"7003","system":"CAISO Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"396","system":"APS OATT Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"ER22-516-000","system":"FERC docket — original APS LGIA filing"},{"value":"ER22-875-001","system":"FERC docket — CAISO certificate of concurrence"},{"value":"ER23-1165-000","system":"FERC docket — market-based-rate authority"},{"value":"EG23-84-000","system":"FERC docket — exempt wholesale generator self-certification"}] — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"66636","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"MCFRA","system":"EIA generator ID — solar photovoltaic"},{"value":"BESS","system":"EIA generator ID — battery storage"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO and balancing authority"},{"value":"1171","system":"CAISO interconnection queue — shared McFarland Solar A/B interconnection"},{"value":"7003","system":"CAISO Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"396","system":"APS OATT Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"ER22-516-000","system":"FERC docket — original APS LGIA filing"},{"value":"ER22-875-001","system":"FERC docket — CAISO certificate of concurrence"},{"value":"ER23-1165-000","system":"FERC docket — market-based-rate authority"},{"value":"EG23-84-000","system":"FERC docket — exempt wholesale generator self-certification"}] — Public Queue Report · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"66636","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"MCFRA","system":"EIA generator ID — solar photovoltaic"},{"value":"BESS","system":"EIA generator ID — battery storage"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO and balancing authority"},{"value":"1171","system":"CAISO interconnection queue — shared McFarland Solar A/B interconnection"},{"value":"7003","system":"CAISO Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"396","system":"APS OATT Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"ER22-516-000","system":"FERC docket — original APS LGIA filing"},{"value":"ER22-875-001","system":"FERC docket — CAISO certificate of concurrence"},{"value":"ER23-1165-000","system":"FERC docket — market-based-rate authority"},{"value":"EG23-84-000","system":"FERC docket — exempt wholesale generator self-certification"}] — Federal Register :: McFarland Solar A, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"66636","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"MCFRA","system":"EIA generator ID — solar photovoltaic"},{"value":"BESS","system":"EIA generator ID — battery storage"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO and balancing authority"},{"value":"1171","system":"CAISO interconnection queue — shared McFarland Solar A/B interconnection"},{"value":"7003","system":"CAISO Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"396","system":"APS OATT Service Agreement — LGIA"},{"value":"ER22-516-000","system":"FERC docket — original APS LGIA filing"},{"value":"ER22-875-001","system":"FERC docket — CAISO certificate of concurrence"},{"value":"ER23-1165-000","system":"FERC docket — market-based-rate authority"},{"value":"EG23-84-000","system":"FERC docket — exempt wholesale generator self-certification"}] — Combined Notice of Filings #1 · confidence: medium
- Official project url: https://www.aes.com/sites/vault/files/2025-04/AES-Q4-FY24-Fact-Sheet-03-03-25.pdf — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: medium
- Owner name: AES Clean Energy — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Owner name: AES Clean Energy — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: high
- Description: McFarland A Solar and Storage is an operating hybrid power plant in Yuma County, Arizona, identified as EIA plant 66636. EIA/FERC records list a 200 MW solar generator, MCFRA, and a 100 MW battery-storage generator, BESS, with an active date of November 1, 2023. AES describes the project as McFarland A Solar-plus-Storage and lists 75% AES ownership alongside third-party tax-equity investors. — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Description: McFarland A Solar and Storage is an operating hybrid power plant in Yuma County, Arizona, identified as EIA plant 66636. EIA/FERC records list a 200 MW solar generator, MCFRA, and a 100 MW battery-storage generator, BESS, with an active date of November 1, 2023. AES describes the project as McFarland A Solar-plus-Storage and lists 75% AES ownership alongside third-party tax-equity investors. — AES Completes Construction of 3.5 GW of Renewables in 2023 · confidence: high
- Description: McFarland A Solar and Storage is an operating hybrid power plant in Yuma County, Arizona, identified as EIA plant 66636. EIA/FERC records list a 200 MW solar generator, MCFRA, and a 100 MW battery-storage generator, BESS, with an active date of November 1, 2023. AES describes the project as McFarland A Solar-plus-Storage and lists 75% AES ownership alongside third-party tax-equity investors. — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: high
- Canonical name: McFarland A Solar and Storage — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Identifiers.0: {"value":"66636","system":"EIA plant code"} — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Identifiers.1: {"value":"MCFRA","system":"EIA generator ID — solar photovoltaic"} — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Identifiers.2: {"value":"BESS","system":"EIA generator ID — battery storage"} — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Identifiers.4: {"value":"1171","system":"CAISO interconnection queue — shared McFarland Solar A/B interconnection"} — Public Queue Report · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.6: {"value":"396","system":"APS OATT Service Agreement — LGIA"} — Source · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.10: {"value":"EG23-84-000","system":"FERC docket — exempt wholesale generator self-certification"} — Combined Notice of Filings #1 · confidence: medium
- Parties.0: {"relationship":"Owner/operator listed in the EIA/FERC plant record","name":"AES Clean Energy","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Parties.1: {"relationship":"Registered project entity and market-based-rate applicant","name":"McFarland Solar A, LLC","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — Federal Register :: McFarland Solar A, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization · confidence: high
- Parties.2: {"relationship":"Parent company of AES Clean Energy","name":"The AES Corporation","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: medium
- Unit configuration: Two generating units: 200 MW solar photovoltaic generator (MCFRA) and 100 MW battery energy-storage generator (BESS), totaling 300 MW. — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Commercial operation date: 2023-11-01 — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Commercial operation date: 2023-11-01 — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: medium
- Power mw: 300 — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Unit count: 2 — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/en/Products/Series-6 — AES Completes Phase I of Arizona Solar Project, Moves on to Phase... · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/en/Products/Series-6 — Series 6 Family | First Solar · confidence: medium
- Kind: solar — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Manufacturer name: First Solar — Series 6 Family | First Solar · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/en/Products/Series-6 — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes: ["The 2017 AES/AIMCo transaction was a portfolio acquisition of sPower, not a separately priced McFarland A asset sale; no project-level sale consideration was disclosed.","AES’s public disclosures identify third-party tax-equity ownership for the relevant asset group but do not name a McFarland A tax-equity investor or disclose project-level financing proceeds.","No separate expansion, retirement, repowering, OEM, or project-specific EPC event was identified for McFarland A in the cited records."] — AES Completes Construction of 3.5 GW of Renewables in 2023 · confidence: medium
- Financing summary: No project-specific debt amount, lender, or tax-equity investor was disclosed. AES states that McFarland A is owned with third-party tax-equity investors whose interests vary over the project’s life. The relevant predecessor-platform transaction was the August 2017 acquisition of sPower by AES and AIMCo from Fir Tree Partners: $853 million of cash plus assumed non-recourse debt; AIMCo’s announcement stated $724 million of debt, while a completion report stated $712 million. Those amounts relate to the sPower portfolio acquisition and should not be treated as McFarland A sale consideration or project financing. — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.0: {"relationship":"Owner/operator","name":"AES Clean Energy","detail":"Listed by FERC/EIA as the utility and operator for McFarland A Solar and Storage. AES reports a 75% equity interest in the 200 MW solar component and identifies third-party tax-equity investors alongside AES ownership.","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.0: {"relationship":"Owner/operator","name":"AES Clean Energy","detail":"Listed by FERC/EIA as the utility and operator for McFarland A Solar and Storage. AES reports a 75% equity interest in the 200 MW solar component and identifies third-party tax-equity investors alongside AES ownership.","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.1: {"relationship":"Project entity and market-based-rate applicant","name":"McFarland Solar A, LLC","detail":"Owns and controls the McFarland A solar and battery assets in FERC’s market-based-rate asset appendix and was the applicant in the project’s market-based-rate proceeding.","official_url":null} — MBR | Asset Appendix Report · confidence: high
- Commercial parties.2: {"relationship":"Parent company and sponsor","name":"The AES Corporation","detail":"Parent company associated with AES Clean Energy and a buyer in the 2017 acquisition of sPower, the predecessor development platform for the Yuma County McFarland projects.","official_url":"https://www.aes.com"} — Special Use Permit Application · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.6: {"relationship":"Contracted customer/offtaker","name":"bp","detail":"AES’s asset table identifies BP as the customer for McFarland A, with the listed contract expiring in 2038.","official_url":"https://www.bp.com"} — 03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL · confidence: high
- Commercial parties.6: {"relationship":"Contracted customer/offtaker","name":"bp","detail":"AES’s asset table identifies BP as the customer for McFarland A, with the listed contract expiring in 2038.","official_url":"https://www.bp.com"} — aes-20231231 · confidence: high
- Interconnection voltage kv: 500 — Hoodoo Wash 500kV Interconnection · confidence: high

## Timeline

- 2023 — Construction completion
  AES reported that McFarland A Solar-plus-Storage was among the renewable projects whose construction it completed in 2023.
  Source: AES Completes Construction of 3.5 GW of Renewables in 2023 (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aes-completes-construction-of-3-5-gw-of-renewables-in-2023--302038271.html)

## Sources

- [Source](https://aes.com/) — aes.com · tier other
- [MBR | Index](https://mbrweb.ferc.gov/SearchlkpEIA/Index?page=775) — mbrweb.ferc.gov · tier regulatory
- [Public Queue Report](https://www.caiso.com/documents/publicqueuereport.xlsx) — caiso.com · tier other
- [Source](https://www.caiso.com/documents/jan24-2022-certificateofconcurrence-largegeneratorinterconnectionagmtlgia-mcfarlandsolar-er22-875.pdf) — caiso.com · tier other
- [Federal Register :: McFarland Solar A, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/02/2023-04309/mcfarland-solar-a-llc-supplemental-notice-that-initial-market-based-rate-filing-includes-request-for) — federalregister.gov · tier regulatory
- [Combined Notice of Filings #1](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/01/2023-04196/combined-notice-of-filings-1) — federalregister.gov · tier regulatory
- [03-03-25 Q4-FY 2024 Fact Sheet_FINAL](https://www.aes.com/sites/vault/files/2025-04/AES-Q4-FY24-Fact-Sheet-03-03-25.pdf) — aes.com · tier other
- [AES Completes Construction of 3.5 GW of Renewables in 2023](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aes-completes-construction-of-3-5-gw-of-renewables-in-2023--302038271.html) — prnewswire.com · tier other
- [Hoodoo Wash 500kV Interconnection](https://www.aps.com/en/About/Construction-and-Power-Line-Siting/Power-Line-Siting/Power-Line-Siting-Projects/Hoodoo-500kV) — aps.com · tier other
- [Mcfarland Phase I Solar | Solar Farm Construction - BHI](https://www.bhico.com/project/mcfarland-phase-i-solar/) — bhico.com · tier other
- [AES Completes Phase I of Arizona Solar Project, Moves on to Phase...](https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/aes-completes-phase-i-of-arizona-solar-project-moves-on-to-phase-ii--321987) — industrialinfo.com · tier other
- [Series 6 Family | First Solar](https://www.firstsolar.com/en/Products/Series-6) — firstsolar.com · tier other
- [Source](https://industrialinfo.com/news/article/aes-completes-phase-i-of-arizona-solar-project-moves-on-to-phase-ii--321987) — industrialinfo.com · tier other
- [Special Use Permit Application](https://public.destinyhosted.com/yumacdocs/2016/BOSREG/20161121_975/7217_McFarland%20B%20SUP%20Application.pdf) — public.destinyhosted.com · tier other
- [aes-20231231](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874761/000087476124000011/aes-20231231.htm) — sec.gov · tier regulatory
- [MBR | Asset Appendix Report](https://mbrweb.ferc.gov/SearchMBRAssetAppendix/AssetAppendixDetails?page=2&AssetAppendixId=13917) — mbrweb.ferc.gov · tier regulatory

## Data quality

- The 2017 AES/AIMCo transaction was a portfolio acquisition of sPower, not a separately priced McFarland A asset sale; no project-level sale consideration was disclosed. AES’s public disclosures identify third-party tax-equity ownership for the relevant asset group but do not name a McFarland A tax-equity investor or disclose project-level financing proceeds. No separate expansion, retirement, repowering, OEM, or project-specific EPC event was identified for McFarland A in the cited records.

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