Lockheed-Starwood solar plant construction will create many jobs - Dallas Business Journal:

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Last week’s announcement that and Global LLC were collaborating ona 290-megawatyt facility about 75 milese west of Phoenix means Arizona contractorss will get some of the said Chris Myers, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for energy programs. The companies stillp are evaluating subcontractors for theproposer $1.5 billion power plant, dubbed Starwood Solatr I. Some work, such as creatingh the mirrored troughs that will focusthe sun’s typically is done by specializesd companies, Myers said, but there will be plenty more. “We’rr going to do a lot of the work here in he said.
Steel manufacturing and othee industries could benefit from an increased Arizona focus on solar Starwood and Lockheed Martin estimate 1,000 jobs will be created as a resulty of the construction, and an additional 6,000 could result from supplier The companies plan to hold recruitmenf events this summer to inform loca companies about the opportunities, Myers In the meantime, the companu is using a newly launched Web site, to distribute information and tell businesses how they can get involvefd with the project.
The construction also will require infrastructure upgrades at transmissionj facilities to tie inwith Starwood’s Included in those upgrades will be work at Arizonw Public Service Co.’s Delaney substation, which Starwood will fund up APS, which has agreed to purchase power from the solar has funds earmarked in its 2012 budget for expandinyg the Delaney substation. “Tio bring in something that large, there are going to have to be saidStephen Zaminski, Starwood’ executive vice president and managing Starwood operates about 40 other power plants and owns all or part of severalp transmission routes through five It began its partnership with Lockhees about 18 months ago as both looke d for a site for a utility-scal e plant.
Starwood runs its solar operations via subsidiary NautilusSolare LLC, which has done several largw commercial-scale projects, but nothing as big as what the two are attemptinh in the Harquahala Valley. The two companies believe their combined relationships with financial institutions will help them overcome the financing hurdles that have stalled several othersolar projects. Some majo project announcements of the past few years have been delayedc because companies that signeddeals couldn’t take the next step towared developing a commercial said Madison Grose, vice chairmaj and senior managing directorr for Starwood.
“The folks who take it to commercializatiomn have torealize there’s a different skill set needed to take it to the next he said. Another hurdle is getting financia institutions and utilities comfortable enough with the solaer concept that they view it the same way as traditionappower plants, Grose said. The companies are planning to spend the summer conducting public meetings on the projecrt with submissions to the ArizonawCorporation Commission, which must approvde the power purchase deal by this said Brad Nordholm, CEO and managing director of Starwood.
The companuy hopes to get its building permits and ACC approvals settlesdby mid-2010, get its financing in placd and move forward with construction by the latter half of that year, Nordholn said.