Sunflower Electric Partners on Third Kansas Solar Project

Sunflower Electric Power is partnering on Boot Hill, a 150 MW solar project near Fort Dodge Station, the company’s electric generating facility one mile southeast of Dodge City, Kan.

The company is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving seven member distribution utilities located in western Kansas. The Boot Hill Solar Project, expected to commence operations in 2026, will join Sunflower’s 20 MW Johnson Corner Solar Project, which came online in 2020, and Sunflower’s 20 MW Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell Project, scheduled for commercial operation next January.

Boot Hill will generate approximately 400,000 MWh annually, says the company, and will have more than 300,000 solar panels mounted on a single-axis solar tracking system. The facility will complement the company’s other generation resources, providing its system with incremental capacity.

The Victory Electric Cooperative, located in Dodge City, joins Sunflower’s six other member-owners in supporting the Boot Hill Solar Project. Sunflower is partnering with Alluvial Power to design and construct the project.

“Each energy generation resource type has benefits, so Sunflower supports an all-of-the-above approach to our generation portfolio,” says Steve Epperson, Sunflower interim president and CEO. “Sunflower’s Board of Directors has carefully analyzed the factors and variables associated with adding more solar energy to our system and believes the time is right to capitalize on the economic efficiencies and other benefits of this project for our members.”

Construction on Boot Hill is scheduled to begin next year.