BLM Seeks Public Input on Palen Solar Project in Eastern Riverside County
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MORENO VALLEY, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management has scheduled a public meeting to solicit public input for the Palen Solar project technology conversion.
The California Energy Commission previously approved, and the BLM previously prepared, a Final Environmental Impact Statement for development of the project using thermal solar trough technology. EDF Renewable Energy now proposes to construct and operate the project as a 500 megawatt solar photovoltaic electric generating facility with associated infrastructure in the same 4,200-acre project site previously analyzed by the BLM and approved by the CEC.
The project is located in eastern Riverside County north of the I-10 Interstate, approximately 10 miles east of the community of Desert Center.
Due to the change in technology for the project, the BLM is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that will include opportunities for public review and feedback. Two public meetings will be held.
The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, 2016, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. The second meeting will be scheduled with a 15-day advance notice to the public. The public comment period will then end 30 days after the second public meeting.
The project incorporates a single-axis tracking system that would include 200 power blocks with an electrical generating capacity of 2.5 megawatt each. Infrastructure would include an electrical switchyard, a common facilities area, a temporary construction laydown area, access roads, and a single circuit 230 kilovolt generation tie-line electric transmission line extending from the project to the Red Bluff Substation.
For further information contact: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 or call (760) 833-7100.
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.