$1 billion solar-thermal plant near Gila Bend to supply APS customers

Arizona's solar-power supply is about to get a lot bigger.
A solar-energy plant planned near Gila Bend would be among the world's largest when it opens in 2011, Arizona Public Service Co. said Wednesday.
APS would buy all the electricity from the solar-thermal plant - which would be built and operated by a Spanish company - to supply some of its 1.1 million customers.
As environmental concerns and rising costs affect traditional fuel sources, solar likely will be a bigger part of the mix of power supplies that feed the state's energy needs.
At 280 megawatts, enough to power at least 70,000 households, the plant would make even more energy than a similar facility announced in December.