BrightSource Energy, developer of large scale solar thermal energy plants, announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with Bechtel, an engineering, construction and project management company, for the Ivanpah Solar Electricity Generating System. In addition to this, Bechtel Enterprises, the financial arm of Bechtel, will become an equity investor in all of the Ivanpah solar power plants.

The Ivanpah System, a 440 MW solar power plant, consisting of three separate solar thermal power plants, is located in southeastern California. Generated power will be sold under power purchase contracts to PG&E and Southern California Edison. The power purchase contracts with these companies otherwise total in 2.6 GW of power.

The Ivanpah solar thermal power facility in California. (Image: BrightSource Energy)

According to estimates by BrightSource Energy, the Ivanpah System will result in about a 1000 jobs during peak construction, and 86 permanent jobs once the plants are completed. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2010, following the reception of final permits.

The Ivanpah facility will use solar thermal technology for generating electricity, or more precisely, BrightSource Energy's proven Lux Power Tower 550 technology. The system has already been deployed in the Negev Desert in Israel at the Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC), where over the past year, the technology has been producing highest temperature turbine quality steam.