Hanwha Energy and Korea Midland Power (Komipo) said Wednesday they signed a deal in Nevada to supply electricity generated by solar power to 36,000 households.

According to the energy affiliate of Hanwha Group and the state-run utility, they signed a solar power purchase agreement with a local public utility NV Energy.

Under the deal, Hanwha Energy and Komipo will generate electricity from solar power plants of 128-megawatt capacity linked to an energy storage systems of 233-megawatt-hour capacity. This is the biggest solar power project linked to ESS a Korean company has ever won, according Hanwha Energy.

This is the third phase of Boulder Solar Power Plant project, which was launched in 2012 in Nevada. Komipo, after setting up a new company Komipo America in the US in the same year, constructed solar power plants of 50-megawatt and 100-megawatt capacity for the first and second phases of the project in 2017, respectively, with a local company SunPower.

For the third phase, Hanwha Energy will handle every stage ranging from project development to financing and power plant operation via its subsidiary company 174 Power Global.

Previously, Hanwha Energy had signed solar power purchase agreements more than 500 megawatts with NV Energy.

“This is a meaningful project co-developed by a private company and a public company. The project will serve as a stepping stone for Korean energy companies to consolidate its footprint,” Hanwha Energy CEO Jung In-sub said.

“It’s encouraging that two Korean companies together advanced to the US solar power market, which is highly competitive. The project will be a significant help for winning future contracts,” a Komipo official said.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)