Construction starts on one of the largest solar parks in the world
CIM Group has launched the construction of Westlands Solar Park (WSP), one of the largest permitted solar parks in the world that could grow to more than 2,700 megawatts (2.7 gigawatts) of renewable energy potential at full buildout, which could provide clean energy to more than 1,200,000 homes.
The energy park encompasses more than 20,000 acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley in western Fresno and Kings Counties and is designed to open in phases. WSP has a completed and certified programmatic environmental impact report for the entire project and it is one of the few renewable energy zones identified as a Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) through the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) process.
The first phase of CIM Group´s development at Westlands Solar Park includes Aquamarine, a 250 megawatt solar photovoltaic project, which has obtained all entitlement and conditional use approvals following a full environmental impact review. CIM signed a power purchase agreement with Valley Clean Energy Alliance, a locally governed electricity provider for the California cities of Davis and Woodland and unincorporated portions of Yolo County, for 50 megawatts of capacity, with initial delivery anticipated to occur in late 2021. Valley Clean Energy’s decision to select Aquamarine from a competitive solicitation process was based on its board adopting criteria designed to select cost-effective California-based renewable projects that minimize impacts on prime farmland, environmentally protected species, and habitat.
At Westlands Solar Park, CIM Group is repurposing selenium-contaminated and drainage-impaired farmland for the development of clean energy. WSP has garnered strong support from environmental communities including the Sierra Club, NRDC, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Biological Diversity. CIM’s clean energy projects will provide solutions to multiple policy objectives for the state of California’s renewable energy mandate including greenhouse gas reduction and carbon-free energy. Additionally, it is expected that WSP will contribute to economic development in Central Valley communities by diversifying the region beyond agriculture and create a substantial number of clean energy jobs over the development of the entire project.
