Abilene firm to build solar power plant in Florida

Lauren Engineers & Constructors announced Thursday the Abilene-based company recently signed a contract to build the world's second-largest solar thermal power plant

The contract with Florida Power & Light calls for Lauren to work as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the 75-megawatt concentrated solar power plant near Indiantown, Fla.

The project is estimated to cost between $550 million and $600 million.

Kevin Porter, Lauren Engineers' vice president of human resources, said the company has hired 10 professionals locally to work on the project.

Additionally, Porter said, 10 existing Lauren employees have been assigned to work on the job -- and that more Abilene and Big Country workers, albeit an unknown number, may join the 1,000 people working on the project in Florida.

Porter said there may be a need for additional staff in its Abilene office.

The project, named the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center, will be on 500 acres of land adjacent to FPL's Martin Plant. Using Parabolic Trough Technology to capture heat from the sun, the project will include approximately 200,000 parabolic mirrors. Total power produced for the plant will be 155,000 megawatt/hours of power annually -- enough power for 11,000 homes.

"Lauren is proud to build this project and is dedicated to a project approach which minimizes disruption to the local community and ecosystem," said Cleve Whitener, CEO of Lauren Engineers & Constructors.

In addition to this project, Lauren also built the Nevada Solar One Power Plant, a 64-megawatt solar power plant in Boulder City, Nev.

Construction for this plant, the largest built in more than 17 years, was completed in June 2007.