NextEra named top bidder for 1GW Blythe plant

June 25, 2012
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The US’s largest solar and wind project developer, NextEra, has placed the successful bid to purchase the unbuilt 1GW Blythe solar project in Riverside County, California. The plant is another of the projects – both built and unbuilt – being auctioned off from the assets of bankrupt Solar Trust of America. The agreed price of the project was not revealed.

A “spirited auction with good results for the debtors,” the sale saw NextEra place the highest bid for the plant, which will be the largest PV plant in the world when built. A hearing to confirm the sale is scheduled for June 27. BrightSource recently placed a successful bid for Solar Trust of America's 500MW Palen project.

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The successful bid will transfer the rights to complete development of Blythe, including transmission access and land-use permits, to NextEra. The contract signed with Southern California Edison that stipulated that SoCal Edison would buy the electricity generated by the plant upon its completion will need to be renegotiated, according to officials.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Blythe plant took place a year and one week ago.

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