LAS VEGAS (AP) — Officials are marking completion of a utility-scale solar electric generation array near Las Vegas built to power the operations of commercial data centers in northern and southern Nevada.
The industrial-sized Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 power plants commissioned Monday at the Apex Industrial Park are designed to generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 46,000 Nevada homes.
But the 179 megawatts they'll be able to put out are dedicated to data infrastructure company Switch for facilities in Reno and Las Vegas.
Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid was among officials marking the occasion along with federal land managers, local elected officials, plant owner EDF Renewable Energy and builder First Solar Inc.
An NV Energy executive says the two arrays bring to 16 the number of solar plants in Nevada.