BLM announces completion of Crimson Energy Storage Project
Project improves energy reliability with 350-MW battery storage
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management today announced that construction of the Crimson Energy Storage Project, a 350-megawatt battery storage system in eastern Riverside County, is now complete, and the system is in operation and expanding grid capacity. The battery storage project will provide 1400 megawatt-hours of electricity at full capacity and is a significant milestone in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to modernize America’s power infrastructure in the West and achieve a goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.
“The BLM is proud to support responsible development of renewable energy projects as part of our mission to sustainably manage public lands,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “The Crimson Solar project is one of the largest standalone battery energy storage projects on BLM-managed lands and showcases the agency’s commitment to meeting the Nation’s energy and economic needs with 21st Century technology.”
The Crimson Energy Storage Project created 140 union jobs during peak construction. The storage project is part of the larger Crimson Solar Project to be constructed at a future date. The entire project includes approximately 2,000 acres of BLM-managed land, located 13 miles west of Blythe in Riverside County.
The Crimson Energy Storage Project is in an area analyzed and identified as suitable for renewable energy development as part of BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Land Use Plan Amendment. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is a landscape-level plan focused on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities. To approve these sites for renewable energy projects, the Department of the Interior and the BLM work with Tribal governments, local communities, state regulators, industry, and other federal agencies.
Within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan planning area, there are 19 renewable energy projects at different stages of review with the potential to add approximately 7,000 megawatts of production on BLM California public land.
In 2021, the BLM approved the Crimson Solar Project, which authorized Sonoran West Solar Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Recurrent Energy, LLC, to construct a 350-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility and 350-megawatt battery storage system with support facilities to generate and deliver power through the Southern California Edison Colorado River Substation. Additional information, including National Environmental Policy Act documents, are available on ePlanning at the Crimson Solar Project webpage: https://bit.ly/3SqTzF8.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.