First Solar and Chinese State-Owned Utility To Develop First Phase Of 2 GW Solar Project

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) said Wednesday that it will partner with China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development to work on the first phase of a giant 2 gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos, Inner Mongolia.

Although Ordos government first approved the project in 2009, it was not until September that the Chinese government approved the pre-feasibility study for the project's first phase. Instead of starting construction for the 30 megawatt (MW) phase one in mid-2010 as originally planned, First Solar now expects to break ground by the end of the year, Associated Press reported.

China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development, the majority owner and operator of the project's first phase, will be in charge of engineering, procurement and construction. First Solar will provide solar panels and advisory services.

Phases 2, 3, and 4 of the project will consist of 100 MW, 870 MW, and 1,000 MW, respectively. When the project was first announced, First Solar projected phases 2 and 3 of the project would be finished in 2014 while phase 4 will be completed by 2019.