Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Abgengoa Ramps Solar Project Construction in Mojave

Spanish solar power developer Abengoa announced this morning that it has begun ramping up construction of its 280 megawatt concentrating solar power project, the CSP Mojave Solar Project in San Bernardino County. The company said it expects the project to create more than 900 construction and permanent operations jobs; the firm said it already has 81 workers on-site as part of the project. Abengoa stressed the job creating aspects of its project in its release this morning. The firm's power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric was approved last week; the firm said it has received all necessary permits and is fully financed. Abengoa said it expects its project to come online in 2014, with enough capacity to power around 54,000 homes. Abengoa is the recipient of a $1.2 billion federal loan guarantee, and given recent scrutiny of the federal government's energy loans looks to be emphasizing its job creation and track record.