Muskegon Solar Energy Center construction complete, grid sync planned for Dec. 1, commercial operation targeted Dec. 20

Sean, introduced to the board as the project manager for the Muskegon Solar Energy Center, told the King County Public Works board that construction on the facility is fully complete and that the ITC switchyard is finished and energized.

“All of the circuits now [are] closed and energized,” Sean said, and staff have begun hot commissioning and equipment testing. He said commissioning started Sept. 23 and that all inverters and trackers are operational. The project team plans to synchronize the site to the grid on Dec. 1 and to enter commercial operation on Dec. 20, subject to testing and weather.

Sean said the project required roughly 436,000 man-hours of physical construction from April through September. He introduced Brett (full name given in the transcript as Brett Benton Bender), who will replace him when he retires at the end of the month. Sean encouraged the board to work with David and others for future updates.

Board members asked for clarification about timing and the steps after initial synchronization. One commissioner summarized the plan as about 20 days of commissioning and testing after synchronization before reaching full load, and Sean confirmed the schedule aligns with that estimate. He noted practical dependencies such as daylight and weather during December.

Why it matters: The timeline places the site close to a December commercial start, which will shift operational custody to Consumers Energy’s Renewable Operations team once the site is handed over. The board heard that the inverters convert DC output from modules to AC for the grid and that the site is entering final testing.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with commissioning and testing through December; the board will receive future operational updates from Consumers Energy Renewable Ops or county staff once the site is handed to the operator.