First Solar has been selected by Tenaska Solar Ventures to design and build the 150 MW-AC Tenaska Imperial Solar Energy Center West project near El Centro, California. Under the agreement, First Solar will provide full Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services on the project, employing its thin film PV modules and single-axis tilt technology.
Tenaska Solar is an independent energy company that bases in Omaha, Nebraska. The project sits on approximately 1,100 acres of previously disturbed land in Imperial County. Tenaska Imperial West is the second solar project in Southern California’s Imperial Valley developed, owned and managed by Tenaska. In November of 2013, First Solar completed construction on the 130MWAC Tenaska Imperial Solar Energy Center South power plant for Tenaska.
“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Tenaska,” said Roger Bredder, First Solar’s Managing Director for U.S. Business Development. “This project will provide up to 800 jobs in the Imperial Valley at construction peak, and make a significant economic contribution to the local community. It will also provide the residents of Southern California with a reliable source of clean, renewable energy.”
Bredder said that the highly qualified local workforce that built Tenaska Imperial South over the past two years will provide a strong pool of experienced workers familiar with First Solar’s technology and construction methods.
First Solar has already started engineering and expects to begin construction later in 2014, with full commercial operation anticipated in 2016. San Diego Gas & Electric Company holds a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for all electricity generated by Tenaska Imperial West.