Centauri Energy LLC said Sept. 14 that it has named Scott Lane as Lead Project Manager for its utility-scale solar and wind projects, and that one of his first jobs will be to work on the development of Beltran Solar, the company’s 300-MW solar project in Stanislaus County, California.
The appointment comes as the company ramps up its Beltran Solar construction efforts. One of the largest solar projects underway in California, Beltran Solar is on schedule to begin delivering power to the Balancing Authority of Northern California (BANC) and Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) grids in 2016, the company said.
“With Governor Jerry Brown’s executive order to achieve 50% renewable energy in California by 2030, and the passage of SB 350, there’s a tremendous need for Beltran Solar’s 300 Megawatts of power,” said Jeff Irvine, CEO of Centauri Energy. “Scott Lane is joining us at a pivotal moment.”
Lane brings nearly 25 years of leadership experience in the renewable energy, utility and telecommunication industries. During that time, he helped develop and build projects totaling 6,000 MW of renewable energy. The projects were located throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, and included solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass and biogas facilities.
“It’s exciting to be part of Centauri Energy and the Beltran Solar project,” Lane said. “Beltran Solar is one of those projects that has everything going for it. It’s one of the largest solar projects in California. The environmental studies are complete, the permits are approved and it has a queue position with CAISO, which allows us to connect to the grid in 2016. Each of these facets represents a major challenge to complete, and it’s taken over five years to get here.”
Lane’s responsibilities include project development, managing real estate/zoning issues, working with the construction team, overseeing technology issues and assisting with operations. He will work with SCADA engineers, manage grid and congestion issues, and assist with strategic planning, contract negotiations, program and operational management, project implementation and communication systems.
Located in California’s Central Valley, Beltran Solar spans approximately 1,600 acres near Interstate 5, approximately an hour southeast of the Bay Area. The project will be built in three phases, with the first phase scheduled to deliver power in 2016.
Centauri Energy develops utility-scale renewable energy solar and wind projects. The company specifically seeks to develop projects that repurpose fallow farmland or make use of remote, uninhabitable property. Over the past three decades, the leadership team has developed dozens of alternate-energy projects nationwide, totaling in excess of 6,000 MW.
