OCI, RES install 41MW solar power plant in US

US-based OCI Solar Power and RES Americas have completed the 41MW phase of a 400MW project in San Antonio, Texas.

The Alamo 1 plant, which is built for municipal utility CPS Energy, includes around 167,000 PV modules on a 180 hectare site.

The project, which is expected to bring manufacturing and 800 permanent jobs to San Antonio, also includes a massive economic development agreement.

Through a 25-year power purchase agreement, CPS Energy will buy the electricity produced by the Alamo 1 plant and others in the 400 MW project.

For the plant, RES supplied engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.

Currently, OCI is building a second PV plant, the Alamo II, which is expected to add an additional 4.4MW to San Antonio when complete in early 2014.

OCI Solar Power president and CEO Tony Dorazio said the Alamo I is only step one to Texas’ rise as a big player in solar.

"Alamo I is an interesting milestone because it’s now the largest solar farm in Texas, but it’s still a small part of what is to come," Dorazio added.

According to CPS CEO Doyle Beneby, the value of solar will meet peak demand, as a result of high electricity prices during Texas heat waves.

Image: The Alamo 1 is the largest PV plant in the US east of the Rocky Mountains. Photo: Courtesy of OCI Solar Power.