Xcel Energy today announced it has selected SunPower Corp. to build North America’s second-largest photovoltaic solar-power plant in Alamosa.
The 17-megawatt plant would come online by the end of 2010. The project is expected to create about 200 jobs during construction.
Xcel would buy the power from the San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower as part of a long-term supply contract.
Xcel declined to reveal the cost of the plant and the terms of the supply contract.
“This is good news from our perspective,” said Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz. “This plant will go west of our current solar plant. There is a substation in the area, as well as transmission lines.”
Xcel currently buys power from a $60 million, 8.2-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant in Alamosa that is operated by Beltsville, Md.-based SunEdison.
Colorado laws require Xcel to get 20 percent of its electricity sales from renewables such as wind and solar by the end of 2010.
Xcel had asked for bids for up to 25 megawatts of solar power in January 2008. It took almost a year to make a selection, Stutz said.
SunPower was selected out of 23 bids from 18 solar-power developers, he said.
SunPower also is building a 25-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant in Florida — the largest such plant in North America — which is scheduled to come online by the end of the year.
Gargi Chakrabarty: 303-954-2976 or gchakrabarty@denverpost.com
