The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will supply the reflectors, absorber tubes, and other key components of the company's solar thermal power plants to the rapidly growing Southwestern solar power industry.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Ausra President and CEO Robert Fishman officially started the reflector production line.

They were joined by Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) President Rhone Resch, Nevada Development Authority (NDA) President and CEO Somer Hollingsworth, and a bipartisan group of southern Nevada government and business leaders in opening the factory line - the first of its kind in the United States.

"Nevada is poised to be a leader in the clean energy revolution," said Reid.

"This facility will help position our state as the premiere place to invest in these new technologies. As the factory expands operations and we continue to invest in clean energy, we'll create thousands of goodpaying jobs and keep our outdoors pristine for future generations."

"This is a crossover point for this industry," said Fishman.

"Ausra's factory is accelerating Nevada's and America's solar future by tripling worldwide manufacturing capacity, relieving the supply constraint that has slowed the industry, and continuing to drive down costs. By a 94 percent majority, the American public wants solar power development to help address rising prices for traditional energy sources.

"We're ready to respond now with a clean, reliable and cost-competitive energy choice that will be an economic development machine for the country. Here in Southern Nevada alone, developers are planning over $50 billion of future solar power plants."

In November 2007, Ausra and California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG and E) announced a power purchase agreement for a 177-megawatt solar thermal power plant to be built in central California. The power plant will generate enough electricity to power more than 120,000 homes.

Ausra's Las Vegas manufacturing center will make solar field equipment for the PG and E project, for other power projects throughout the American Southwest, and for Ausra's process steam customers, who are adopting solar thermal power to lower their fuel costs and emissions in their operations, including food processing, enhanced oil recovery and refining, and pulp and paper manufacturing.

The Las Vegas facility will employ a staff of 50. At full capacity, it will annually produce more than 700 megawatts of solar collectors - enough to power nearly half a million homes, and keep 1,400 construction workers employed building solar power plants.

"New projects like this demonstrate how the solar industry is a powerful economic engine that is putting Americans back to work and expanding manufacturing when we need it most. Americans are demanding policies that support this industry because they know solar power can secure the nation's energy future and grow the economy," said Resch.

"We are proud that Ausra has chosen southern Nevada for its U.S. manufacturing plant, bringing economic growth and new jobs to our state," said Hollingsworth. "The business-friendly environment we enjoy here provides Ausra and other companies a wealth of benefits. Nevada's alternative energy business is fast becoming a bright spot for our state's economy, and we are excited to have Ausra be a part of that."

Ausra's Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector solar technology captures the sun's power to produce electricity without pollution. Mirrors focus sunlight to heat water pipes, and the resulting steam drives a turbine to generate electricity.

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