FPL to build solar thermal plant in California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - FPL Group Inc on Wednesday said it has filed an application with California regulators to build and operate a 250-megawatt (MW) solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert.

The plant is part of FPL's strategy to add at least 600 MW of new solar generating capacity by 2015, the Juno Beach, Florida-based company said in a statement.

The Beacon Solar Energy Project will be located on a 2,000 acre site in Kern County, California. Construction on the plant is expected to begin in late 2009 and will take two years to complete.

The plant will generate enough electricity to power about 175,000 homes.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Carol Bishopric)