S&P Global Market Intelligence ($):

Denmark’s Ørsted A/S is ramping up its expansion into the U.S. renewables market, where it expects continued cost reductions and higher prices for corporate power deals to fuel sustained growth after renewable tax credits are phased out.

The largest offshore wind producer in the world broke into the U.S. onshore wind market with its acquisition of Chicago-based wind developer Lincoln Clean Energy LLC in October and announced on May 1 that it was buying a subsidiary of solar developer Coronal Energy, marking its first dip into photovoltaics and storage.

“The U.S. solar market has significant potential,” Ørsted CEO and President Henrik Poulsen said on a call to discuss the company’s first-quarter earnings on May 1. “We believe the combination of onshore wind, solar PV and storage gives us a very strong platform for long-term growth in the U.S.”

Poulsen said the acquisition includes Coronal’s development team and utility-scale solar and storage project pipeline. The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., and backed by Japanese giant Panasonic Corp., has a multi-gigawatt-development pipeline in more than 20 states, according to its website.

Ørsted expects its burgeoning U.S. onshore business to thrive despite the phaseout of renewable production tax credits, or PTCs, this year, as the subsidies will be offset by higher prices on corporate power purchase agreements, or PPAs, and continued cost declines, especially for onshore wind.

“Beyond the PTC expiry, there is no doubt that the market will need to go for realignment,” Poulsen said. “Right now, corporate PPAs have been struck at prices that are very low and I’ll claim are very attractive to the corporations buying green power … because of the PTC support. I have no doubt that we’ll continue to be a strong market in the U.S., also beyond PTC,” he added.

More ($): Ørsted sees bright prospects for U.S. expansion after end of renewable tax credits