BrightSource’s huge California solar project passes milestone

BrightSource Energy’s Ivanpah solar project, the frontrunner to be the first large-scale concentrating solar power project built in the US in a generation, has passed another milestone with the approval of a California Energy Commission (CEC) siting committee.

The concentrating solar power tower project proposed in the Mojave Desert still needs approval of the full CEC – which will weigh a decision after a 30-day comment period – and the federal Bureau of Land Management before construction can begin.

BrightSource says it anticipates having all permissions in hand in time to start work this autumn.

A siting committee, made up of two members of the CEC and presided over by Commissioner Jeffrey Byron, has been evaluating the project since 2007.

Byron’s proposed decision – which serves as a recommendation to the full CEC – echoes an earlier finding by CEC staff that while some of the project’s environmental impacts will be mitigated, remaining impacts will still be significant, but “the benefits the project would provide overrides those impacts”.

BrightSource says Ivanpah will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 400,000 tonnes a year.

The company must pay a hefty sum for environmental mitigation. Late last month, wildlife agency officials issued updated compensation and mitigation cost estimates for the project, including relocating desert tortoises.

BrightSource will have to commit close to $26m to these purposes through a new mitigation scheme created earlier this year by state and federal agencies, designed to “more efficiently implement mitigation and maximize the overall conservation benefit derived from mitigation actions”.

The CEC describes the project as having a first 120MW phase, followed by two 125MW phases for a total capacity of 370MW.

BrightSource describes the project’s capacity as 392MW, after reducing its footprint earlier this year to roughly 16 square kilometres to avoid impacts to additional desert tortoise habitat.

BrightSource is the recipient of a $1.4bn federal loan guarantee and is in the process of arranging additional tax equity and project equity to round out the financing package.

Senior vice president Charles Ricker told Recharge in June that financing is expected to close this quarter.

Source: www.Rechargenews.com