Duke Energy unit to buy 14 megawatt solar project

An aerial view shows the Lieberose solar farm, which is the world’s second biggest solar power plant and Germany’s biggest, with an area of 162 hectares (equivalent to more than 210 football fields) in Turnow-Preilack, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Berlin, in this August 14, 2009 file photo.

(Reuters) - Power company Duke Energy said its commercial business unit, Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), agreed to buy a 14 megawatt Blue Wing Solar Project from juwi Solar Inc, a unit of Germany's juwi Holding AG.

The 139-acre project is expected to be completed and energized by the fourth quarter of 2010, DEGS said.

DEGS said the deal includes a 30-year power purchase agreement to sell all of the output from the solar farm and associated renewable energy credits to San Antonio-based CPS Energy.

In October last year, Duke Energy had agreed to develop commercial solar power projects in the United States with ENN Group, a private Chinese energy company.

The Blue Wing project is the first commercial solar power project Duke Energy will own and operate. The company, however, currently owns and operates 733 megawatts of commercial wind power generation.

Duke Energy shares closed at $16.55 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Adveith Nair in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva)