Gov. Ted Strickland says a solar farm expected to bring up to 600 jobs is being built on a former strip mine adjacent to a wildlife conservancy in southeast Ohio.
Spanish manufacturers Prius Energy S.L. and Isofoton plan to employ 300 to make the nearly 240,000 solar panels needed to outfit the 49.9 megawatt farm, dubbed the Turning Point Solar project.
Another 300 temporary construction jobs are expected.
American Electric Power Inc. has agreed to purchase power from the facility for 20 years to help fulfill state minimums for renewable energy.
Strickland was scheduled to join AEP CEO Michael Morris at a Tuesday signing ceremony with the project's developers, New Harvest Ventures and Agile Energy.
The site is next to the nearly 10,000-acre conservancy known as The Wilds.
