World’s Most Efficient Solar Electric Generating Plant , Clean Energy and Green Jobs
BrightSource Energy, Inc., developer of utility-scale solar thermal power plants, today announced that it has signed contracts with Siemens to purchase two steam turbine generators for use at its Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.
Today’s announcement follows BrightSource Energy’s purchase of its first Siemens steam turbine generator in December 2008 to be used at Ivanpah’s Unit I. The contract announced today is for the supply of two 133 MW steam turbines to be used at Ivanpah’s Units II and III. Last month, the company announced that it had purchased three solar receiver steam generators from Riley Power.
BrightSource Energy has now ordered all three steam turbines to be used at its Ivanpah project.
“The purchase of all three steam turbine generators for the Ivanpah project marks another key milestone in building the world’s most efficient solar power plant,” said Israel Kroizer, Chief Operating Officer, BrightSource Energy, and president of BrightSource Industries (Israel). “By combining our proprietary solar technology with world-class power generation components, Ivanpah serves as a model for low-cost, reliable and environmentally-responsible solar power generation.”
This contract continues the recent momentum for BrightSource’s Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Last week, the project received the final federal permits from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. On September 29th, the California Energy Commission unanimously agreed to certify the project for construction. On August 12th, the California Public Utilities Commission approved BrightSource’s contract with Southern California Edison for 117 MW of power to be produced at Ivanpah. On August 6th, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for BrightSource’s Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. In February, BrightSource received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy for $1.37 billion in loan guarantees to support the financing of the Ivanpah project.
“These additional contracts reflect our continued leadership in providing field-proven solutions to produce clean energy effectively,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Siemens Energy Oil & Gas Division’s Industrial Power business unit. “We are proud to be supplying steam turbines for all three solar thermal power plants at Ivanpah, continuing our relationship with BrightSource Energy.”
About the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
The project located in San Bernardino County, California, will consist of three separate solar thermal power plants and provide power under separate contracts with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE). PG&E will purchase approximately two-thirds of the power generated at Ivanpah and SCE will purchase approximately one-third. In all, BrightSource has contracted with PG&E and SCE to deliver 2,610 megawatts of electric power.
When constructed, the 392 megawatt (gross) Ivanpah project will nearly double the amount of solar thermal electricity produced in the U.S. today. Ivanpah will:
generate enough clean energy to power 140,000 homes reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually, the equivalent of taking more than 70,000 cars off the road provide more than 1,000 local union jobs at the peak of construction; 650 jobs annually on average for its three year construction period provide $650 million in employee wages over its first 30-year life
About BrightSource Energy, Inc.
BrightSource Energy, Inc. provides clean, reliable and low cost solar energy for utility and industrial companies worldwide. The BrightSource Energy team combines nearly three decades of experience designing, building and operating the world’s largest solar energy plants with world-class project development capabilities. The company now has contracted to sell 2610 megawatts of power to be generated using its proprietary solar thermal technology. BrightSource Energy’s solar plants are designed to minimize their impact on the environment and help customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., BrightSource Energy is a privately held company with operations in the United States, Israel, and Australia.
To learn more about BrightSource Energy and solar thermal energy, visit www.brightsourceenergy.com.
SOURCE: BrightSource Energy, Inc.
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