With a newly announced solar plant set to come online in about four years, Arizona soon should get solar-related jobs, albeit in the construction industry.

Last week’s announcement that Lockheed Martin Corp. and Starwood Energy Group Global LLC were collaborating on a 290-megawatt facility about 75 miles west of Phoenix means Arizona contractors will get some of the work, said Chris Myers, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for energy programs.

The companies still are evaluating subcontractors for the proposed $1.5 billion power plant, dubbed Starwood Solar I.

Some work, such as creating the mirrored troughs that will focus the sun’s energy, typically is done by specialized companies, Myers said, but there will be plenty more.

Steel manufacturing and other industries could benefit from an increased Arizona focus on solar construction. Starwood and Lockheed Martin estimate 1,000 jobs will be created as a result of the construction, and an additional 6,000 could result from supplier relationships.

The companies plan to hold recruitment events this summer to inform local companies about the opportunities, Myers said. In the meantime, the company is using a newly launched Web site, www.starwoodsolar.com, to distribute information and tell businesses how they can get involved with the project.

The construction also will require infrastructure upgrades at transmission facilities to tie in with Starwood’s facility. Included in those upgrades will be work at Arizona Public Service Co.’s Delaney substation, which Starwood will fund up front. APS, which has agreed to purchase power from the solar plant, has funds earmarked in its 2012 budget for expanding the Delaney substation.

Starwood operates about 40 other power plants and owns all or part of several transmission routes through five states. It began its partnership with Lockheed about 18 months ago as both looked for a site for a utility-scale plant.

The companies are planning to spend the summer conducting public meetings on the project with submissions to the Arizona Corporation Commission, which must approve the power purchase deal by this fall, said Brad Nordholm, CEO and managing director of Starwood.

The company hopes to get its building permits and ACC approvals settled by mid-2010, get its financing in place and move forward with construction by the latter half of that year, Nordholm said.

Source: Phoenix Business Journal