Aspen Continues to Support Large Desert Solar Projects
Aspen started supporting the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) by preparing CEQA and NEPA documents for utility-scale desert solar projects nearly 13 years ago, when many solar thermal projects were incentivized by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and proposed in the southern California desert. A few solar thermal projects were built and are operating, for example, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station and the Genesis Solar Energy Project. Other project proposals were converted to solar photovoltaic (PV) projects as that technology became more cost-competitive. Two of the PV projects Aspen worked on have just come online!
Aspen staff started work on the 500 MW Palen Solar Project in 2009, preparing CEQA and NEPA documents for the CEC and BLM. Palen was originally proposed as a solar trough (thermal) project. Aspen continued to support the CEC when Palen was sold to a solar power tower developer. Finally, in 2016, the project was sold to EDF Renewables (EDF-RE) and it was developed as a PV project (their internal name is Maverick). Aspen prepared a Supplemental EIS (for the BLM) and EIR (for Riverside County), supplementing the earlier BLM NEPA documents and CEC Staff Assessments. We also served as BLM’s Project Management Assistance team. In mid-January of 2021, EDF-RE completed construction of the first 225 MW (in two separate blocks of 125 MW and 100 MW).
The Desert Harvest Solar Project was Aspen’s first solar EIS prepared only for the BLM, with no CEQA component. Aspen’s team started by providing support in strategy for biological resources surveys and permitting, and then prepared the Draft and Final EIS in 2012. BLM issued its Record of Decision in 2013. Aspen also supported Riverside County’s project approval, using CEQA Guidelines Section 15221, allowing a lead agency to rely on a NEPA document. Aspen also handled CDFW permitting and federal Section 7 consultation on behalf of EDF-RE. The developer, EDF Renewables (EDF-RE) announced the completion of construction and commercial operation of two separate project components (100 MW and 114 MW) on January 28, 2021.