First Solar Inc. has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) with renewable electricity from a 300 MW utility-scale photovoltaic solar power facility that First Solar is developing in Southern California.
The Desert Sunlight project, which will be located near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, Calif., will have a total capacity of 550 MW. The other 250 MW portion of the project is already under contract with Southern California Edison (SCE).
First Solar's PPAs with PG&E and SCE are subject to the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Construction on the project is expected to start by the end of this year, and completion may take place as early as 2013, First Solar says. The project's permit application has been fast tracked by the Bureau of Land Management.
SOURCE: First Solar
