First Solar puts up 10MW PV plant for Sempra

The company will design, engineer and construct the turnkey PV power plant and will provide monitoring and maintenance services for the plant over its lifetime. Sempra will be the developer for the project, and will own and operate the PV power plant once completed. Construction of the plant began this month and is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The solar modules to be deployed in this ground-mount project will be produced at First Solar's manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.

The 10MW PV power plant will be adjacent to Sempra's existing El Dorado combined cycle natural gas plant. The PV power plant will serve customers in California and the Western United States.

"This new solar project is another step in Sempra's long-range plan to emerge as a leading renewable-energy developer," said Michael Allman, president and CEO of Sempra. "The combination of Sempra's experience in developing power-generation projects in the region with First Solar's expertise in advanced, thin-film photovoltaic solutions is a natural fit."