Solar plant to be built in Nevada

Construction of a 300-acre solar power plant, believed to be the largest built anywhere in the world, is expected to begin in Nevada.

Nevada Solar One, developed by Solargenix Energy of North Carolina, is expected to spark the emergence of a renewable energy industry in Southern Nevada, state officials told the Las Vegas Sun.

"It's extremely important," said state Sen. Randolph Townsend, a Republican, one of the chief architects of the state's renewable energy mandate. "You have to be able to show the public, as well as various companies, the industry overall and, especially, the financial markets, that you're for real."

Solargenix is scheduled to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the plant Saturday and next week the first phase of construction will begin.

The plant, expected to cost $100 million, is scheduled to be operational by March 2007, said Gary Bailey, regional managing director for Solargenix.

Nevada state law requires that 20 percent of its power production come from renewable resources by 2015.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International