THERE might yet be a future for Mildura's world leading solar plant, condemned to death by the financial crisis, as an obscure Las Vegas company negotiates for its corpse.
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US-based Matinee Energy is one of a handful of parties negotiating for the purchase of Solar Systems, the Government-backed Australian business behind the $420 million Mildura plant.
Launched with fanfare by the Howard and Bracks governments in 2006, the Mildura scheme - which was to be the largest of its type in the world - ran into financial strife amid the global financial crisis in 2008.
Solar Systems, pioneers of mirrored dishes that concentrate light on a central panel of high-quality photovoltaic material, went into voluntary administration last September.
News of US interest came as the State Government confirmed it might consider relaxing tough funding conditions in a bid to resurrect the Mildura plant.
A senior source said the Government was willing to discuss all matters with potential buyers, including the timing and conditions of the $50 million it had pledged in 2006 before the financial crisis.
Last night, Energy Minister Peter Batchelor said: "We want to see the large-scale solar power station built in Victoria and we are keen to meet with interested companies wanting to progress the project. Our $50 million remains on the table for the project."
But federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson was not flagging flexibility.
Solar Systems was in the preliminary stage of the Mildura project and had built a manufacturing plant at Abbotsford when it went into administration. About 100 staff lost their jobs. Last month remaining staff agreed to take one month's unpaid leave, fearing they may never return, but 40 started back at work this week, a move viewed as a promising sign.
Little is known locally of Matinee Energy, but renewable energy enthusiasts fear its interest is likely to be in Solar Systems' ground-breaking technology rather than full completion of the Mildura scheme.
''Government should release the grant money up front,'' said Chris Breen, spokesman for community-based Save Solar Systems. ''If not, Government should take over Solar Systems and build the plant themselves.''
Through an intermediary, Matinee Energy declined to talk to The Age this week. Nor would PricewaterhouseCoopers administrator Stephen Longley comment on negotiations. ''We'll hopefully be announcing a successful outcome towards the end of the month or early February,'' he said.
When pledging $125 million to the project in 2006, the Government stressed that the support was contingent on tough milestones. Only $2 million to $3 million of the pledged public money had changed hands by September.
