First Solar, Inc. and Southern California Edison (SCE) have announced the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for the off-take of electricity generated by four solar projects totaling 500 megawatts (MW)AC of capacity. The deals establish SCE as the largest single off-taker of energy from First Solar projects in the world.
The PPAs are for power generated by four projects in California, Nevada and Arizona, all currently in development by First Solar, with anticipated commissioning by the end of 2019:
- The 150MWAC North Rosamond Solar Project, located in Rosamond, Calif., will occupy approximately 1,175 acres of private land, and will produce approximately 488,000 MWh/year.
- 100MWAC from the Willow Springs Solar Project, located near the North Rosamond Solar Project in Rosamond, Calif., which will occupy approximately 1,450 acres of private land, and will produce approximately 330,000 MWh/year.
- The 100MWAC Sunshine Valley Solar Project will be located in Amargosa, Nev., less than four miles from the California border, on privately owned land. It will produce approximately 302,000 MWh/year.
- The 150MWAC Sun Streams Solar Project will be located on approximately 1,500 acres of land in Tonopah, Ariz., and will produce approximately 464,000 MWh/year.
With these agreements, SCE has 2.2 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity under contract from projects developed and/or built by First Solar. SCE’s first PPA with a project developed by First Solar was for the 21 MWAC Blythe Solar Project in 2009. The utility also has a long-term agreement for 250MWAC of capacity of the 550MWAC Desert Sunlight Solar Project in Desert Center, Calif., which was commissioned in 2014. SCE has additional contracts in place for other projects currently in construction, including the Desert Stateline project in California and the Silver State South project in Nevada.
“This is an exciting milestone to reach in a valued long-term relationship,” said Brian Kunz, First Solar’s Vice President of Project Development – US West. “As an early off-taker, SCE was visionary in their inclusion of utility-scale solar in their energy mix. Their commitment to providing rate-payers with clean, affordable renewable energy continues with this set of agreements.”
