500 MW solar project in California secures US government approval

The US Government's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its Record of Decision, authorizing the Palen Solar Project, a photovoltaic facility owned by EDF Renewable Energy, to occupy up to 3,140 acres of BLM-administered lands, approximately 10 miles (16km) east of Desert Center, north of Interstate 10, in Riverside County.

The project is expected to provide enough energy to power about 130,000 homes and employ more than 1,000 individuals during the project’s peak—with a construction-related, on-site workforce of more than 550 individuals. It will result in a private infrastructure investment of US$1 billion, with US$67.3 million in annual indirect economic benefit during construction.

The authorization permits the construction of a 500 MW solar photovoltaic facility and approximately seven-mile (11km) single circuit 230-kilovolt generation interconnection transmission line that would deliver power through the Southern California Edison Red Bluff Substation. It will include a main generation area, on-site substation, switchyard, site security, and a 230-kilovolt gen-tie line. The site may potentially include an operations and maintenance facility.