Kingman lands $1 billion solar plant

Arizona will be getting a second, $1 billion solar power plant in the next few years under a proposal by Albiasa Corp. to locate a 200-megawatt facility near Kingman.

Plans to build the facility on 1,400 acres of private land were announced Monday. About 2,000 temporary construction jobs are expected along with 100 full-time jobs when the plant is completed by 2013.

Albiasa, a Spanish company with operations in the U.S., has been in business since 1974 but began developing technology for concentrated solar power starting in 2004. The company has several plants in Spain, primarily using photovoltaic cells, and one 50-megawatt concentrated solar power plant under construction.

Arizona would be Albiasa’s first U.S. location. The Kingman site offers several advantages, including access to power lines and a easier regulatory climate, compared to California, said Jesse Tippett, director of the company’s U.S. operations.

“For 25 years, similar power plants have been operating right here in the U.S.,” he said.

Concentrated solar power uses parabolic mirrors to track and reflect the sun’s rays into tubes of fluid that are heated and sent to a generating station, where the heat is used to power a steam turbine. Albiasa’s plant will use a thermal storage of molten salt as a way to expand the times that the plant can produce power,” Tippett said.

The plant is the second concentrated solar power facility to choose Arizona. Abengoa Solar announced last year it is building a 250-megawatt solar plant near Gila Bend that would sell power to Arizona Public Service Co. State utilities had been looking at another plant and had requested proposals, but shelved the project at least temporarily.

“The arrival of Albiasa Corp. is yet another big step toward establishing Arizona as a leader in the sustainable industries sector, creating stable jobs that will help diversify the economy,” said Gov. Jan Brewer.

The state likely will see more such projects, as the Albiasa deal is one of several that Department of Commerce officials are working on, said Kent Ennis, interim director at the department. “We hope to soon announce several projects in the state,” he said.

Although the plant will be located in the state, power may go elsewhere. Tippett said Albiasa is negotiating with utilities in Arizona and elsewhere about buying the power — enough for about 60,000 homes — but would not release the names of any partners in the project.

Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. have been looking for renewable power as California’s mandate for production continues to climb.

The key issue is transmission. The Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities and transmission lines, is holding a workshop Monday to discuss the potential for siting renewable energy transmission throughout the state.

“Right now, our infrastructure is not good enough for that,” said ACC Commissioner Paul Newman.

Arizona continues to attract companies to the state for solar power, at least in generation, and there is a rush on to get plants started by 2010 so that they can qualify for stimulus funds under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Albiasa will be looking to secure such funds, Tippett said.

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