Iberdrola Renewables Signs Deal for Solar Photovoltaic Plant in Arizona

The solar power will be produced using photovoltaic panels and will produce an amount of energy equal to that needed to serve about 3,100 SRP customers’ homes.

“From wind power to solar, our partnership with Iberdrola Renewables has resulted in thousands of SRP customers benefiting from clean, renewable energy,” said SRP General Manager Richard Silverman.

“Iberdrola Renewables is delighted to partner for the third time with SRP, this time for one of the largest utility-scale projects in Arizona,” said Martin Mugica, executive vice president of Iberdrola Renewables. “SRP has been a leader in bringing clean, renewable energy to Arizona, by purchasing the output of the first commercial-scale wind farms in the state and now with this, one of Iberdrola Renewables’ first solar projects.”

SRP has purchased property located between Quail Run Lane and Attaway Road, and between Judd Road and Bella Vista Road, and will lease a portion of the property to Copper Crossing for the development of the solar power facility. The property is adjacent to the Abel receiving station.

Iberdrola Renewables’ experience as one of the nation’s leading wind farm project developers and operators has prepared the company to develop and deliver a variety of solar technology solutions. The power purchase agreement with SRP, from what is expected to be one of Iberdrola Renewables’ first solar projects in the U.S., signals the company’s expansion into the solar power business for its utility customers, and it does so with a long term contract from a repeat customer.

The new solar plant will be the third large renewable power project in which SRP has partnered with Portland, Oregon-based Iberdrola Renewables – the Dry Lake Wind Farm Phase 1 was dedicated as Arizona’s first commercial-scale, wind energy project in October 2009, and Phase 2 is scheduled to be complete by early 2011.

Iberdrola Renewables also announced a 30 MW solar power sale in Colorado yesterday, for another project slated to begin construction this year. The two combined renewable power purchase agreements mark the worldwide renewables leader’s entrance into the U.S. solar power sector. With a proven track record in wind power, the company plans to bring these 50 megawatts of emission-free solar power to commercial operation by the end of next year.

Salt River Project is the third-largest public power utility in the country and serves more than 930,000 electric customers through a variety of resources including solar, wind turbines, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectricity. In 2004, SRP’s Board of Directors voted to require that 15 percent of the energy generated comes from sustainable resources by 2025. Today, SRP’s sustainable portfolio is 6.5 percent of the total power provided to our customers.

Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. is an American company, headquartered in Portland, Ore., with over 850 employees. It is part of the Iberdrola Renovables global group, the world’s leading provider of wind power with more than 11,000 MW of renewable energy in operation around the world, and more than 3,800 MW of that wind power located in the U.S., now bringing its expertise into the solar industry.

www.iberdrolarenewables.us