Nevada utility marks completion of solar array near Vegas

BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada's dominant electric utility is marking completion of a solar power array in the desert outside Las Vegas.

Officials with NV Energy and Alabama-based Southern Power and SunPower said Tuesday the Boulder Solar I facility began providing 100 megawatts of electricity last December.

That's enough to power 30,000 homes during daytime hours.

The plant has almost 290,000 solar panels on nearly 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers) in a dry lake bed in the Eldorado Valley area of Boulder City. That's about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Las Vegas.

The adjacent Boulder Solar II plant produces another 50 megawatts for NV Energy, and helps power Las Vegas city buildings, parks and lighting.

Publicly traded NV Energy is owned by Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Co. of Des Moines, Iowa.

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This story corrects the number of homes served by 100 megawatts is 30,000, not 60,000, and clarifies the December start date.