Construction will begin in June of the first phase of what will eventually become a huge solar power plant in the Arizona desert, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy announced Thursday. The Mesquite Solar facility, located about 40 miles west of Phoenix, is expected to produce 700 megawatts of power when it is complete. The first phase of construction is scheduled to come online in two years, creating enough power for 56,000 homes, according to Sempra Generation.
The announcement came on the heels of the state Public Utilities Commission’s approval of a 20-year contract for Pacific Gas & Electric to buy some of the electricity. The value of the contract was not disclosed.