"Acquiring the EMG development pipeline extends First Solar's leadership in the US utility market," says Lisa Bodensteiner, First Solar vice president of business development for North America. "It builds on our strategy to cultivate robust and predictable module demand in utility-scale applications."

The EMG solar projects that First Solar is acquiring are sited largely on private land, range from 20 to 150MW, and are not yet contracted with utilities.

First Solar and EMG have worked together since 2008 on the EMG projects, with First Solar providing engineering, procurement and construction services while EMG was responsible for land acquisition and permitting. Now First Solar will handle all development for these projects, including permitting.