NRG Energy, MidAmerican Solar and First Solar Celebrate 100 MW Milestone for 290 MW Agua Caliente Solar Project

Yuma County, Ariz., photovoltaic solar project creates 400 jobs and clean, renewable power for 225,000 homes

PRINCETON, N.J. & DES MOINES, Iowa & TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Representatives from NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), MidAmerican Solar and First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) gathered with federal and local officials today at the 290 megawatt (AC) Agua Caliente solar project in Yuma County, Ariz., to celebrate the project's first 100 megawatts (MW) being delivered to the grid, making it North America's largest photovoltaic (PV) power plant in operation.

Once completed in 2014, Agua Caliente will be one of the world's largest PV power plants, supplying enough clean, renewable solar energy to power more than 225,000 homes. The project's construction phase is creating an average of 400 jobs, with over 80% of the workforce coming from Arizona.

"Getting to this milestone of our first 100 megawatts at Agua Caliente illustrates the success of public-private partnerships to stimulate the construction of these large-scale solar projects, creating hundreds of construction jobs and providing clean, renewable power to thousands of homes," said Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar. "Large-scale projects like this also help drive down the price of solar, which will make it even more cost-competitive with conventional electricity generation in the near future."

Today's event included site tours and media Q&A led by project owners NRG and MidAmerican Solar, and project developer First Solar—three companies with complementary development capabilities and strong commitment to expanding the benefits of clean energy to more Americans.

"Agua Caliente will provide a positive impact on the environment and create jobs. Projects such as Agua Caliente will play a central role in our nation's long-term electric energy supply and in our national transition to cleaner energy sources," said Paul Caudill, president of MidAmerican Solar.

First Solar designed and is constructing the project using its advanced thin-film photovoltaic modules and will operate and maintain the facility for NRG and MidAmerican Solar. Pacific Gas and Electric Company has a long-term power purchase agreement for all of the project's generation, which is projected to offset approximately 5.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 25 years, the equivalent of taking over 40,000 cars off the road annually.

"First Solar is proud of the rapid progress we are making to bring Agua Caliente's clean power to the grid," said Jim Lamon, First Solar senior vice president of Engineering, Procurement and Construction and Operations and Maintenance. "We are very pleased to be working on this and other projects with energy leaders like NRG and MidAmerican Solar. And we're grateful for the robust support at the local, state and federal levels that enabled us to realize this project."

Agua Caliente was named Solar Project of the Year by Renewable Energy World, a leading industry magazine, and PV Project of the Year by Solar Power Generation USA, the industry's leading utility-scale solar power conference.

About NRG and NRG Solar

NRG is at the forefront of changing how people think about and use energy. A Fortune 500 company, NRG is a pioneer in developing cleaner and smarter energy choices for our customers: whether as one of the largest solar power developers in the country, or by building the first privately funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure or by giving customers the latest smart energy solutions to better manage their energy use. Our diverse power generating facilities can support over 20 million homes and our retail electricity providers—Reliant, Green Mountain Energy Company and Energy Plus—serve more than two million customers.

NRG Solar LLC, a subsidiary of NRG, has more than 2,000 MW of photovoltaic and solar thermal projects under development or in construction across the southwestern United States. More information is available at www.nrgenergy.com and www.nrgsolarenergy.com.

About MidAmerican Solar

MidAmerican Solar is a subsidiary of MidAmerican Renewables and is headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz. MidAmerican Solar's primary projects include the 550-megawatt_AC Topaz project in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., and a 49 percent ownership interest in the 290-megawatt_AC Agua Caliente project in Yuma County, Ariz.

MidAmerican Renewables is a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, a global provider of energy services. Through its energy-related businesses, MidAmerican provides electric and natural gas service to 7 million customers worldwide. These businesses are Pacific Power, Rocky Mountain Power and PacifiCorp Energy, comprising PacifiCorp; MidAmerican Energy Company; Northern Powergrid Holdings Company; Northern Natural Gas Company; Kern River Gas Transmission Company; MidAmerican Renewables; and CalEnergy Philippines. Information about MidAmerican is available at www.midamerican.com.

About First Solar

First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems which use its advanced thin-film modules. The company's integrated power plant solutions deliver an economically attractive alternative to fossil-fuel electricity generation today. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module collection and recycling, First Solar's renewable energy systems protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com.

NRG Safe Harbor Disclosure

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions and include NRG's expectations regarding the Company's Agua Caliente solar project and forward-looking statements typically can be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expect," "believe," and similar terms. Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, general economic conditions, hazards customary in the power industry, competition in wholesale power markets, the volatility of energy and fuel prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in the wholesale power markets, changes in government regulation of markets and of environmental emissions, and our ability to achieve the expected benefits and timing of our electric vehicle projects. NRG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRG's actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included in this news release should be considered in connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRG's future results included in NRG's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

For First Solar Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with the company's business involving the company's products, their development and distribution, economic and competitive factors and the company's key strategic relationships and other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. First Solar assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50253394&lang=en

NRG
Meredith Moore, 609-524-4522
or
David Knox, 713-537-2130
or
MidAmerican Solar
Ann Thelen, 515-281-2785
athelen@midamerican.com
or
First Solar
Alan Bernheimer, 415-935-2499
media@firstsolar.com
or
Ted Meyer, 602-427-3381
media@firstsolar.com

Source: NRG Energy, Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media

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