Solar Plant In Southern Colo. Will Sell Energy To Xcel

DENVER (AP) -- SunPower Corp.. has finished building a 19-megawatt solar power plant in southern Colorado to supply Xcel Energy Inc. Construction on a second plant is under way.

The companies said Thursday the Greater Sandhill plant in Alamosa County began generating power Dec. 22. It can serve the annual electricity needs of almost 5,000 homes.

SunPower is also building a 30-megawatt solar plant in Alamosa County that will be owned and operated by Portland, Ore.-based Iberdrola Renewables. It will sell electricity generated by the plant to Minneapolis-based Xcel under a long-term contract. The San Luis Valley Solar Ranch is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower says construction of both plants created about 100 jobs.

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