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California Desert District

Fast-Track Renewable Energy Projects

BLM California Fast-Track projects referenced in Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement (news release)

BrightSource Ivanpah Solar Electric Generation System
  • About 5 miles southwest of Primm, Nev. in San Bernardino, County, CA.
  • 400-MW project would incorporate seven 459-foot tall power towers and 214,000 heliostats (each holding two flat mirrors).
  • The three solar thermal power plants would interconnect to the Southern Calif. Edison grid through upgrades to the transmission line passing through the site and a new substation.
  • The project’s power plants would share an administrative complex/construction logistics area on approximately 4,073 acres of public land.
  • BrightSource Energy is a privately held company with operations in the U.S., Israel, and Australia.

Solar Millennium (Blythe) Fast Facts
  • The proposed Blythe Solar Power Project is a thermal parabolic trough electrical generating facility capable of generating 986 megawatts (Mw) of renewable power.
  • The proposed Blythe facility footprint will be approximately 6,300 acres within a proposed 9,560- acre permanent ROW.  No privately owned land is involved.
  • The project site is in Riverside County, California, approximately eight miles west of Blythe, California.
  • The proposed site is adjacent to the I-10 transmission corridor, a major energy transmission corridor in southern California.

Solar Millennium (Palen) Fast Facts
  • The project site is in Riverside County, California, approximately 10 miles east of Desert Center. Generally, the proposed site is immediately adjacent to the I-10 transmission corridor, a major energy transmission corridor in southern California.
  • The proposed Palen Solar Power Project is a thermal parabolic trough electrical generating facility capable of generating 484 Mw of renewable power.
  • The proposed facility footprint will be approximately 3,800 acres within a proposed 5,176-acre permanent ROW.  No privately owned land is involved.

Solar Millennium (Ridgecrest) Fast Facts
  • The Ridgecrest Solar Power Plant Project (RSPP will be a dry-cooled parabolic trough solar thermal electric power generating facility.  It will generate a nominal 250 MW. 
  • The proposed facility footprint is approximately 1,760 acres (plant will occupy approx. 1,440 acres) within a 3,920-acre proposed ROW on BLM managed land. 
  • The project is located 4.5 miles south of the southern boundary of China Lake NAWS and 5 miles southwest of Ridgecrest. 
  • The site is located 1-mile west of the intersection of Hwy 395 and China Lake Boulevard and primary access is from Brown Road.  Brown Road bisects the project. 

NextEra Genesis Ford Dry Lake Solar Project
  • North of I-10, near Ford Dry Lake (about 20 miles west of Blythe in Riverside County, CA).
  • 250-MW project would cover 4,640 acres but should only disturb about 1,800 acres.
  • Two independent thermal-power generating facilities using wet-cooled, parabolic solar troughs.
  • Ties into a 230-kilovolt (kV) on-site switchyard and Blythe Energy/FPL 500-kV line, with an interconnect to the Colorado River Substation.
  • NextEra Energy Resources, a Florida Power and Light Subsidiary, is currently the largest generator of solar energy in the U.S.

AES Daggett Ridge Wind Project
  • About 6 miles southeast of Barstow and 5 miles southwest of Daggett in San Bernardino County, CA.
  • Wind energy generating facility capable of generating 82.5 MW on approximately 1,577 acres of BLM managed land and 380 acres of private land.
  • Substation, storage yard, offices, and maintenance shops would be on private land.
  • AES Wind Generation is a subsidiary of AES, a global power company founded in 1981 with generation and distribution businesses across five continents.

 

BLM California Fast-Track projects that have already started through environmental review

Stirling Energy Systems Solar Two Project (CACA-47740)
  • The Stirling Energy Sustems Solar Two project is a 750 MW Solar generation power plant proposal to be located in the Imperial Valley, California in close proximity to El Centro.
  • Project is proposed on 6,140 acres of public lands administered by BLM in the El Centro Field Office of the California Desert District, along with 360 acres of private lands. 
  • Technology utilized will be the Stirling Energy Systems Suncatcher solar dish.

Stirling Energy Solar One Project (CACA 049537/CACA-049539)
  • Solar One is a 850 MW Solar generation power plant proposal located in San Bernardino County, California in close proximity to Barstow (37 miles east). 
  • Project is proposed on 8,230 acres of public lands administered by BLM in the Barstow Field Office of the BLM California Desert District.
  • The proposed project would include construction of one phase for a 500MW power generation facility and a second phase for a 350MW power plant site adjacent to the first phase. 
  • Proposal includes constructing a 500 kV transmission line to the Pisgah Substation owned by SCE which will need to be expanded for capacity purposes. 

FirstSolar Desert Sunlight  (CACA 48649)
  • Proposed project for a thin film technology, photo voltaic array, electrical generating facility capable of generating 550 megawatts (MW) of renewable power.
  • The proposed project site is located on approximately 9,510 acres of federal land managed by the BLM.  No privately owned land is involved.
  • The project site is in Riverside County, California, approximately 5.7 miles north of the community of Desert Center, California. Desert Center is located 60 miles east of Palm Springs, CA.  The proposed site is 7 miles north of the I-10 transmission corridor, a major energy transmission corridor in southern California.
  • First Solar, a private entity, is the proponent of the Desert Sunlight Power Project.

Chevron Energy Systems Lucerne Valley (CACA 49561)
  • Proposed CES Lucerne Valley Solar Plant is a photovoltaic solar electrical generating facility capable of generating 60 megawatts (MW) of renewable power. 
  • The proposed CES solar project site is located on approximately 516 acres of BLM managed land.
  • The project would be constructed in three phases.  Phase I of the project would consist of up to 180,000 photovoltaic panels with a nominal generating capacity of 20 MW.  Phases II and III would consist of the same configuration as phase I for a total generating capacity of 60 MW.
  • Project location is eight miles east of the community of Lucerne Valley.

Tule Wind (CACA 49698)
  • Pacific Wind Development, LLC, a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, has proposed to develop the Tule Wind Farm, a wind energy generating facility capable of generating 200 megawatts (MW) of renewable power. 
  • The proposed project site is located on approximately 15,493 acres of  multiple jurisdiction land.
  • The project includes turbines, access roads, electrical collector and transmission lines, a substation, MET towers and storage yards/operations and maintenance facilities.
  • The project would be constructed in one phase. 
  • The Project is located in McCain Valley in eastern San Diego County, approximately 60 miles east of the city of San Diego.  The closest community is Boulevard, approximately two miles south of the main project.

Granite Mountain Wind Energy Project  (CACA 48254)
  • RES North America, LLC (RES) has proposed to develop the RES Granite Wind Project, a wind powered electrical generating facility capable of generating 73 megawatts (MW) of renewable power.  The project will be comprised of up to 28 Siemens or similar, 2.3 megawatt (Mw) wind turbine generators.
  • The project site is located on approximately 1,968 acres of federal land managed by the BLM and 670-acres of private land in the County of San Bernardino, California, approximately 6 miles east of Apple Valley in the Granite Mountains. 

   
Last updated: 11-06-2009