Continuing to build its project pipeline, First Solar has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 130MW solar park to be built in Imperial County, California. Tenaska Solar Ventures, the solar energy affiliate of independent utility company Tenaska, will operate the park and has a 25-year power-purchase agreement (PPA) with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), which was announced in March 2011.
The proposed Imperial Solar Energy Center South facility will use First Solar’s CdTe thin-film modules in a ground-mounted configuration on a 950-acre site.
The project is expected to create about 250 jobs at peak construction and four to five direct, long-term jobs to support ongoing operations. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2011, with commercial operation commencing in 2014. CSOLAR IV South, LLC, an affiliate of Tenaska, is the registered owner of the park.
