Construction Begins on 250MW Silver State South Solar Project in Primm, NV

Federal, state and local leaders joined executives from NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, Southern California Edison and First Solar, Inc. to break ground on the Silver State South Solar Project, a 250 megawatt (MW) solar project being constructed in Primm, NV, on the California/Nevada border 40 miles south of Las Vegas. The project is strategically located near a major transmission hub and is adjacent to an existing power plant and transmission line corridor.

A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will own and operate the project. All of the power from Silver State South will be provided to Southern California Edison under a long-term contract.

First Solar is building Silver State South, which is the company’s fifth utility-scale solar power plant in development, construction or operation in southern Nevada. It also positions First Solar as the largest solar developer in the state, with approximately 750MW of projects in various stages of development, construction and operation.

“By working together, we will provide jobs and significant economic benefits to Clark County as well as helping SCE deliver, clean renewable energy to its customers,” said Jim Hughes, chief executive officer of First Solar.

When fully operational by early 2016, the project is expected to generate enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of approximately 80,000 homes per year, displacing approximately 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually – the equivalent of taking nearly 30,000 cars off the road.