Environment | National

Moapa Band set to start construction on big solar power plant

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians in Nevada expects to start work on a large-scale solar energy facility this fall.

The tribe plans to build a 350 megawatt facility on 2,000 acres. The plant will generate enough power to meet the needs of customers in Los Angeles, California, for the next 25 years, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

"Generating clean, emissions-free solar power on our Reservation has long been a goal of the Moapa people, and is true to our heritage of environmental consciousness, respect for the Earth and reverence of our sacred lands," Vice Chair Eric Lee said in a press release.

The project was highlighted on the opening day of the National Clean Energy Summit on Tuesday. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell praised the tribe for its commitment to renewable energy.

The tribe has a second solar energy facility in the works.

Get the Story:
Paiutes' solar project highlight of National Clean Energy Summit (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 8/14)
Moapa Paiutes poised to construct first large-scale solar plant (The Las Vegas Sun 8/13)
Nevada Tribe Venture to Build 1.5 Gigawatts of Renewable Power (Bloomberg News 8/13)
Large Scale Solar Project Announced for Southern Nevada (8 News Now 8/13)
Yucca ruling nearly steals show at Vegas energy conference touting solar, geothermal projects (AP 8/13)