8minutenergy Renewables and Gestamp Solar to Build 30MW Solar Farm to Provide Power to the Imperial Irrigation District
California (PRWEB) November 24, 2014 -- 8minutenergy Renewables, LLC and Gestamp Solar today announced the signing of a 25-year contract to sell 30 megawatts-ac (40MW-dc) of clean, renewable solar energy from its Midway III Solar Farm project in Imperial County, Calif., to the Imperial Irrigation District (IID), which serves Imperial County. The transaction was conducted with 96WI 8me, LLC, a subsidiary of Calif.-based 8minutenergy Renewables, which is the nation's leading independent solar PV developer, and Gestamp Solar, an international leader in solar development and implementation that has built power plants with a total capacity of over 650MW around the world. The two companies have a joint development agreement to develop the Midway III Solar Farm project.
The Midway III Solar Farm project is a utility-scale solar generation facility sited on 221 acres of low-productivity farmland. Construction is projected to begin in late 2015, with the site expected to be operational and delivering renewable energy to the IID grid by the latter half of 2016. This clean solar generation plant will displace the equivalent of approximately 84,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, which is equal to the amount that roughly 3.6 million trees would displace annually.
"This PPA underscores 8minutenergy's commitment to the people of the Imperial Valley," said Martin Hermann, chief executive officer of 8minutenergy Renewables. "We are proud that through working closely with the IID and Gestamp Solar, this solar project will create approximately 240 direct and 180 indirect jobs during construction in Imperial County, and make other contributions to the local economy."
"Gestamp Solar is pleased that its investment in these projects, and its hard work and close collaboration with 8minutenergy’s development team and the IID team, has led to the achievement of this PPA," said Jorge Barredo, CEO of Gestamp Solar. "We look forward to leading the next stage in this solar project's development and constructing the site."
"We are glad to see that our investments, supported closely by our partner, 8minutenergy Renewables, is resulting in more renewable energy and jobs for the people of Imperial County," said Ran Bujanover, the U.S. Country Manager for Gestamp Solar. "This PPA helps us further fulfill our mission of providing affordable power options to the people we serve, while promoting the creation of green jobs in California."
"Power for over 10,600 households in Imperial County will be produced by the Midway III Solar Farm's annual production of approximately 75.0 million kilowatt hours (kWhs) of electricity,” said Tom Buttgenbach, president of 8minutenergy Renewables. “We are grateful for the support we received from the IID and other officials in Imperial County throughout the development of this solar project."
Imperial Irrigation District Electricity provides electric power to more than 145,000 customers in the Imperial Valley and parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. As the sixth largest utility in California, IID Energy controls more than 1,100 megawatts of energy derived from a diverse resource portfolio that includes its own generation, and long- and short-term power purchases.
The solar power system for Midway III Solar Farm will be comprised of state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic modules, related power electronics, and other components including an advanced tracking system that follows the sun to maximize energy production. The PPA contract is pending approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
About Gestamp Solar
Gestamp Solar (http://www.gestampsolar.com), the photovoltaic energy division of Gestamp Renewables, specializes in the development, construction, operation and maintenance of utility-scale photovoltaic plants in the United States, South Africa, South America, the Middle East, Japan, Italy, France and Spain. Gestamp Solar has constructed over 650 MWs of solar energy projects to date.
About 8minutenergy Renewables, LLC
8minutenergy Renewables develops, finances, engineers, constructs, holds, operates and maintains solar projects. To date, 8minutenergy Renewables has been awarded over 1,100 MW in PPAs; secured more than 1,200 MW in General Interconnection Agreements (GIA); obtained Conditional Use Permits (CUP) for 9,140 acres; and has 15,000 acres of land under contract. 8minutenergy has offices in Folsom, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and El Centro, California. For more information, please call (916) 608-9060, send email to info(at)8minutenergy(dot)com or visit http://www.8minutenergy.com.
Media Contact:
8minutenergy Renewables
Kent Streeb
P: 530.908.9225
kstreeb(at)8minutenergy(dot)com
Kent Streeb, 8minutenergy Renewables, http://www.8minutenergy.com, +1 (530) 908-9225, [email protected]
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