Southern Power, a Southern Co. subsidiary, and Turner Renewable Energy have acquired the 15-megawatt Morelos del Sol solar farm in California from Solar Frontier Americas.
“This acquisition with longtime partner Turner Renewable Energy strengthens Southern Company’s position as a national leader in renewables,” said Southern Co. Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. “The acquisition of the Morelos del Sol Solar Facility aligns with our company’s broader commitment to best meeting customers’ energy needs.”
The project in Kern County will be located on 138 acres and is expected to consist of 111,744 thin-film photovoltaic solar modules mounted on single-axis trackers.
DEPCOM Power is providing engineering, procurement and construction services and will also operate and maintain the facility for Southern Power. Construction of the plant began in July, and commercial operation is expected in late November. The electricity and associated renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
Ted Turner, owner of Turner Renewable Energy, teamed with Southern Company through a subsidiary in January 2010 to form a strategic alliance to pursue development of renewable energy projects in the United States. The partnership has primarily focused on developing and investing in large-scale solar PV projects in the Southwest, where solar resources are most available. This is the company’s eighth solar project with Turner Renewable Energy and brings the partnership’s overall solar capacity to more than 320MW.
