BEIJING, September 28 (RIA Novosti) - China will build the world's largest solar power plant in the north of the country by 2019, the Sina news agency said on Monday.

The new plant will be constructed in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region with the help of the U.S. experts. The total capacity of the new energy-generation facility is estimated at 2 gigawatts, which is 30 times more than the capacity of the current world's largest solar power plant in Olmedilla, Spain (60 megawatts).

The start of the construction is set for June 1, 2010. The plant will cover 64 square kilometers and is expected to cost $590-$880 million.

Energy-hungry China currently uses solar power mostly for water-heating purposes. China's solar power plants cover 125 million square kilometers.