Willbros Group, Inc. (NYSE: WG) announced that a unit of its Utility Transmission & Distribution segment, Hawkeye, LLC, based in Hauppauge, NY, was awarded a contract by BP Solar International, Inc. to construct an approximately 37-megawatts (MW) solar photovoltaic project in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island, New York.
The project commenced construction on November 2, 2010, and is expected to be completed during the second half of 2011.
The project will be located in Suffolk County, New York, on approximately 200 acres of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory property. The Long Island Power Authority ("LIPA") selected BP Solar to develop the project and nearly all of the output will be sold to LIPA and its customers under a 20 year power purchase agreement.
This will be the largest solar photovoltaic project constructed in the state of New York and involves the installation of approximately 164,312 solar panels (220 watts each) which will be arranged in 24 panel sub-arrays set on steel posts or piles arranged in rows and drilled into the ground. The electricity generated by the solar facility will be stepped up by means of a transformer from 13.8 kV to 69 kV and transmitted via an underground line to a nearby LIPA substation prior to entering the LIPA grid.
Randy Harl, President and CEO of Willbros, commented, "We are excited about this new award and believe it reflects the types of new opportunities we are now well positioned to pursue. We see trends supporting increased development of renewable energy projects and believe this award demonstrates our capabilities as a meaningful player in this growing market."
Willbros Group, Inc. is an independent contractor serving the oil, gas, power, refining and petrochemical industries, providing engineering, construction, turnaround, maintenance, life cycle extension services and facilities development and operations services to industry and government entities.
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