Agua Caliente Reaches 200-Megawatt Milestone
World's largest operating photovoltaic power plant creates more than 400 construction jobs
Bloomberg Businessweek
PRINCETON, N.J. & DES MOINES, Iowa & TEMPE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul. 16, 2012– Today, NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), MidAmerican Solar and First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced that the 290-megawatt Agua Caliente solar project, currently under construction in Yuma County, Ariz., is more than two-thirds complete and delivering more than 200 megawatts to the electric grid. The Agua Caliente project is the world’s largest operating photovoltaic power plant.
The facility, which is owned by NRG and MidAmerican Solar, employs a daily average of 400 to 450 workers during the construction period. Expected to be completed in 2014, the project uses industry-leading solar plant controls and forecasting capabilities to integrate its output with the power grid. The Agua Caliente project is being financed with support from a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office.
