First Solar lands two Australian contracts

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First Solar is getting a foothold in a new market with two Australian power plants. 

First Solar Inc. has landed two power plant contracts in Australia that will account for 159 megawatts of panels.

The projects, one for 106 megawatts and the other for 53 megawatts, will be built in New South Wales under the country’s Solar Flagships Program.

Tempe-based First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) will provide design, construction and panels for the projects. It also will provide maintenance and operations for AGL Energy Ltd., which will own the power plants.

“This is a significant step forward for the utility-scale solar industry in Australia — an order of magnitude increase in project size — and a testimony to the confidence our customers have in First Solar technology and its performance in some of the hottest and harshest conditions in the world,” said Jim Hughes, First Solar’s CEO.

First Solar has been under fire in the U.S. for how it has received federal loan guarantees that are backing three of its power plants either under construction in Arizona or pending construction in California.

Read more in the Phoenix Business Journal.