President Barack Obama today announced that a US government agency is awarding nearly $2 billion from a stimulus package to two solar companies, as part of his drive to build a clean energy economy.
Obama announced that the Department of Energy is awarding the whopping amount in conditional commitments from the Recovery Act, which is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009.
While one of the projects is to build one of the largest solar plants in the world in Arizona, that will create about 1,600 construction jobs, another is to build two new plants, that will create more than 2,000 construction jobs, and over 1,500 permanent jobs, Obama said in his weekly address to the nation.
“These are just two of the many clean energy investments in the Recovery Act Already, I’ve seen the payoff from these investments. I’ve seen once-shuttered factories humming with new workers who are building solar panels and wind turbines; rolling up their sleeves to help America win the race for the clean energy economy,” Obama said.
Obama said Abengoa Solar company has agreed to build one of the largest solar plants in the world. “After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it’s good news that we’ve attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America.
In the short term, construction will create approximately 1,600 jobs in Arizona,” he said. “What’s more, over 70 per cent of the components and products used in construction will be manufactured in the USA, boosting jobs and communities in states up and down the supply chain. Once completed, this plant will be the first large-scale solar plant in the US to actually store the energy it generates for later use, even at night. And it will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 70,000 homes,” Obama said.
