Dive Brief:
- Sempra Energy and Consolidated Edison are in a joint venture to develop two solar photovoltaic power plants in the Southwest.
- The facilities are the 150-MW Copper Mountain Solar 2 farm near Las Vegas, Nevada, and the 150-MW Mesquite Solar 1 plant near Phoenix, Ariz.
- The Mesquite plant is fully operational while the Copper Mountain plant generates 92 MW and will be complete by 2015.
Dive Insight:
The joint venture projects cater to the seemingly insatiable desire of California utilities to buy renewable power to meet the state's renewable portfolio standard of 33% by 2020. Pacific Gas & Electric is buying all the power from both plants under 25-year contracts.