US photovoltaic (PV) developer SunPower has announced it will begin construction on the 25MW McHenry solar plant in Modesto, California, by the end of 2011.
The site is scheduled to be operational by the second half of 2012 and will serve the grid operated by utility, Modesto Irrigation District (MID). The project is expected to create 144 construction jobs and inject around $18.7m into the local economy.
Roger VanHoy, assistant general manager of electric resources at MID, said, 'Solar power adds to the diversity of MID's power mix and is an excellent fit for our customers' energy needs. We have been impressed by SunPower's professionalism and knowledge to date, and are confident SunPower has the experience and technology to cost-effectively deliver a system that will reliably generate solar power for MID's customers for the next 25 years.'
Howard Wenger, president of SunPower's utility and power plant business, added, 'SunPower technology is fast to install, offers guaranteed performance, and is a competitively-priced choice for power. We commend MID for seizing the opportunity to help meet the state's growing energy demand and renewable energy goals.'
At the start of this month, SunPower signed a two-year credit facility worth $275m through a multi-bank syndicate that the company said it will use to support its expansion strategy.