Electric power generator NextEra Energy Resources and PV systems provider First Solar have begun construction on a 250MW PV plant on the border of California and Nevada.
The Silver State South Solar Project –- which will be built in Primm, Nevada — will be located about 40 miles south of Las Vegas and will be placed next to an existing power plant and transmission line corridor.
Armando Pimentel, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources, said: “Renewable energy sources such as solar power play an important role in the future energy mix in this county. We look forward to working with First Solar and Southern California Edison to make this project a reality.”
A NextEra subsidiary will own and operate the plant, which will generate power that will be given to state utility Southern California Edison as part of a long-term agreement.
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added: “Coming on the eve of the Clean Energy Summit, the timing of the Silver State South groundbreaking couldn’t be more perfect. This project proves again that solar energy is the wave of the future. It stimulates economic growth, creates jobs, and replaces fossil-fueled energy with clean solar power.” Reid noted that the Silver State South Solar Project will provide 300 construction jobs and create benefits for many local businesses in addition to generating state and local tax revenue.”
Once completed in early 2016, the plant is expected to create enough clean solar energy to power 80,000 homes annually while displacing around 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
