September 18, 2013 - First Solar announced today that construction has started on the 150 megawatt (MW) AC Solar Gen 2 project in Imperial County.

Solar Gen 2 will provide approximately 800 jobs during construction and generate about $150,000 in property taxes annually and $4.6 million under the Public Benefits Agreement.

"First Solar is very exciting to begin construction on a third project in the Imperial Valley,” said Anthony Perrino, Construction Director. "With the support of county officials, IID and SDG&E, we are helping to deliver thousands of green jobs, millions of dollars in economic benefits, and clean, renewable energy for Southern California homes."

Under a 25-year power purchase agreement between SDG&E and First Solar, the 150MW project will generate enough clean energy to power more than 60,000 average California homes, displacing more than 115,000 metric tons of CO2 per year (the equivalent of taking 22,000 cars off the road) and saving 93,000 metric tons of water per year.

Solar Gen 2, purchased by First Solar from Energy Power Partners in April of 2013, is composed of three neighboring sites: Sonora, Arkansas, and Alhambra. The modules used on this project will be installed on a tracking system, which will follow the sun throughout the day to maximize the amount of power generated.

Construction on Solar Gen 2 is expected to be complete by July of 2014. First Solar also developed and is constructing the 139MW Campo Verde Project in El Centro, which is expected to be complete by the end of October. Additionally, the company is completing construction of the 130MW Tenaska Imperial Solar Energy Center South project in Calexico for Tenaska.