SAN DIEGO, Nov. 10, 2010 – Sempra Generation yesterday received unanimous approval from the Kern County Board of Supervisors to construct a new photovoltaic solar power plant in California’s Antelope Valley.
Located in the high desert about 90 miles north of Los Angeles, Rosamond Solar will generate up to 200 megawatts (MW) or enough electricity to power about 76,000 average homes for a year.
“Rosamond Solar will deliver a new supply of solar power to California that moves the state one step closer to reaching its clean energy goals, while, at the same time, creating more jobs for area residents,” said Jeffrey W. Martin, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation. “California remains a strategic focus for Sempra Generation as we continue to grow our portfolio of solar and wind power projects in the Western U.S. We look forward to working with Kern County officials and the community of Rosamond on the development of the region’s vast solar resources.”
Sempra Generation anticipates breaking ground on Rosamond Solar in 2012 with completion targeted for 2013. The project will create approximately 300 construction jobs and up to eight new long-term positions to operate the facility.
Rosamond Solar will be built on privately owned, former agricultural land near an existing major transmission line corridor. The project will use photovoltaic solar-panel technology that does not require water to generate electricity.
This is Sempra Generation’s fourth utility-scale solar power project. The company expects to complete construction on the largest photovoltaic solar facility in the U.S. later this year in Boulder City, Nev., and recently announced plans to launch the first phase of a 600-MW photovoltaic solar project outside Phoenix in 2011.
Sempra Generation operates and maintains a fleet of natural gas-fueled power plants, and is a leading developer of solar and wind facilities that serve U.S. markets. Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2009 revenues of more than $8 billion. The Sempra Energy companies’ 13,600 employees serve about 25 million consumers worldwide.
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This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by words like “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “may,” “would,” ”could,” “should,” or similar expressions, or discussions of strategies, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others: local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative and regulatory conditions and developments; actions by the California Public Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, California Department of Water Resources, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Reserve Board, and other regulatory and governmental bodies in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries; capital market conditions and inflation, interest and exchange rates; energy and trading markets, including the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices; the availability of electric power, natural gas and liquefied natural gas; weather conditions and conservation efforts; war and terrorist attacks; business, regulatory, environmental and legal decisions and requirements; the status of deregulation of retail natural gas and electricity delivery; the timing and success of business development efforts; the resolution of litigation; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the company. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system without charge at the SEC’s Web site, www.sec.gov and on the company’s Web site, at www.sempra.com.
Mesquite Solar I will be owned and operated by SGS-1, LLC; Copper Mountain Solar facility is owned and operated by Copper Mountain Solar I, LLC; and El Dorado Solar is owned and operated by El Dorado Energy, LLC; all subsidiaries of Sempra Generation.
Sempra Generation is not the same company as the utility, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra Generation is not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.