Country United States Status Operational Type Flat-panel PV Construction began January 2010 | Location Boulder City, Nevada Commission date December 1, 2010 Owner Sempra Energy | |
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Construction cost $141 million (copper mountailn 1 only - 58MW) | ||
The Copper Mountain Solar Facility is a 458 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant in Boulder City, Nevada. Sempra Generation announced on December 1, 2010 that it had finished phase 1 of the project and the facility was generating electricity. When the facility entered service, it was the largest photovoltaic plant in the U.S. at 58 MW.
The expected output of 100 GW·h/year from Copper Mountain Solar Facility phase 1 has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Power generated from phase 2 has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Power generated from phase 3 is sold to the Southern California Public Power Authority.
History
Sempra Generation built the plant from January 2010 to December 1, 2010, at a cost of about $141 million., although it appears this is just for 48 MW expansion.
At its construction peak more than 350 workers were installing the 775,000 First Solar panels on the 450-acre (180 ha) site.
An expansion of the facility by more than 200 MW was approved in 2010. On August 4, 2011, Sempra announced a plan to expand the facility by 92 MW to be online in January 2013 and another 58 MW to be added by 2015.
Copper Mountain Solar 3 is the third phase of the Copper Mountain Solar complex. Construction on the 250 MW solar project began in 2013 and was completed in early 2015, with a formal dedication ceremony on 30th April 2015. This stage is capable of generating enough electricity to power about 80,000 homes.
Copper Mountain Solar 4 is the fourth phase of the Copper Mountain Solar complex. Construction on the 94 MW expansion project is scheduled to commence in 2015, creating about 350 construction jobs at peak, with completion expected by year-end 2016.