For a while, a various amount of gigawatts related to solar thermal power plants was scheduled for different areas in the Californian desert, but in the end many plants obtain the approvals they usually need for the construction to start.
A conclusive environmental impact assertion has been issued by The US Bureau of Land Management for the 1,000 MW Blythe Solar Power Project; but, it must be mentioned that the 250 MW Beacon Solar Energy project has also obtained the approval it finally needed from the Californian state.
Renewable Energy World, seen as the smaller between the first two, referring to NextEra Energy Resources, has received the initiation approval from the California Energy Commission in what concerns the beginning of the construction on the 250 MW Beacon Solar Energy plant.
In order to concentrate sunlight and generate electricity, the $1 billion and 2,000 acre solar thermal power plant will utilize various parabolic troughs. In Next Era’s view, the power plant is expected to appear online during the following three years, though for the time given, there’s no power purchase consent instead. Otherwise speaking, no electric usage has by now engaged into buying the power produced by the plant.
Seen as the larger between the two, Solar Millennium Inc. will soon start construction on the 1,000 MW Blythe Solar Power Project, due to the completion of the conclusive BLM environmental impact assertion and the CEC, who already agreed on approving the plan immediately as public comment ends the following month.
They expect the plan consisting of 7,025 acre, utilizing parabolic trough technology as well, to generate the necessary power for about 800,000 homes, and on its own this will go further to doubling the commercial solar power capacity already installed in the United States.
The price tag and time needed until the project is complete: $6 billion and six years from the real initiation of the construction.
[Source: Treehugger]
