First Wind to sell power from Utah solar projects to Rocky Mountain Power

First Wind, an independent U.S.-based renewable energy company, has finalized seven 20-year power purchase agreements with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, which will buy the output of the planned 20MW Seven Sisters projects in Utah, USA.

Pete Sullivan, Director of Business Development at First Wind, stated:

We are excited to announce this milestone for the Seven Sisters solar portfolio as part of the 2014 Summit, which builds on First Wind’s renewable energy leadership in Utah. The long-term contracts with Rocky Mountain Power are a significant achievement for these solar projects, which will deliver clean energy to Utah ratepayers once they achieve commercial operations next year. We look forward to working closely with Beaver and Iron counties, Rocky Mountain Power and the State of Utah as we continue to move forward with these renewable energy projects that will generate economic and environmental benefits for the region.

The start of major construction is slated to begin in late 2014. The project is expected to be operational by July 2015.

The Seven Sisters portfolio includes seven separate solar photovoltaic projects, four of which are to be sited in Beaver County and three to be located in Iron County, Utah. The projects will use more than 73,000, 300-watt solar panels.

Six of the seven projects will be 3 MW (AC), and the seventh will be 2 MW (AC). Once complete, the combined generating capacity of all seven projects will be 40,000 megawatt-hours per year, or equivalent to the electricity use of more than 4,000 Utah homes per year.