APS, Arizona State Land Department agree on solar project

Arizona Public Service Co. and the Arizona State Land Department have reached an agreement on a 35-megawatt solar power plant to be built near Yuma. The move, which would have APS lease the land for 35 years at a cost of $10 million, would be the first solar project built exclusively on state trust lands. The Foothills Solar Plant will be owned by APS and built by Atlanta-based AMEC. Construction will start on the first 17 megawatts in August, which are expected to come online by March 2013. The remainder of the plant will come online by the end of that year. “Through our growing investment in solar energy, we are helping the environment, creating jobs and protecting our customers against potentially volatile fuel prices,” APS Chairman and CEO Don Brandt said in a prepared statement. Foothills will be the largest photovoltaic project to date in the AZ Sun program. APS has received approval to build a total of 200 megawatts of PV power plants through approvals from the Arizona Corporation Commission. The first 100 megawatts are under construction or coming online.

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