BLM approves revamped version of Blythe Solar project

August 7, 2014 Barry Cassell Generation

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Aug. 1 issued its final Record of Decision (ROD) for an amendment to the existing Right-of-Way (ROW) grant for the Blythe Solar Power Project (BSPP).

This project was first approved in 2010 as a 1,000-MW solar energy generating plant utilizing thermal parabolic trough technology on 6,831 acres of public land located near the City of Blythe in Riverside County, Calif.

This ROD approves an amendment to the 2010 ROW grant and authorizes the construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of the BSPP as a 485-MW solar plant utilizing photovoltaic (PV) technology on approximately 4,138 acres of public land. This decision was analyzed in a Final Environmental Impact Statement issued on May 30.

This ROD applies only to BLM’s decision on the modified project. Other agencies, including the California Energy Commission (CEC), are responsible for issuing and enforcing their own decisions and applicable authorizations for the revamped project.

NextEra Blythe Solar Energy Center LLC is the current owner and holder of ROW grant. The initial project proponent and applicant was Palo Verde Solar I LLC.

About Barry Cassell 20414 Articles
Barry Cassell is Chief Analyst for GenerationHub covering coal and emission controls issues, projects and policy. He has covered the coal and power generation industry for more than 24 years, beginning in November 2011 at GenerationHub and prior to that as editor of SNL Energy’s Coal Report. He was formerly with Coal Outlook for 15 years as the publication’s editor and contributing writer, and prior to that he was editor of Coal & Synfuels Technology and associate editor of The Energy Report. He has a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University.
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