BLM approves $1B solar project in California

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a $1 billion solar project in Southern California. The Desert Quartzite Solar Project would be located near the city of Blythe in eastern Riverside County. The record of decision signed by the BLM authorizes Desert Quartzite LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arizona-based First Solar, to construct, operate, maintain and decommission the 450-megawatt solar photovoltaic project on about 3,000 acres of public land plus additional private lands. That is enough electricity to power 117,000 houses. It is one of the largest photovoltaic power plants proposed in the U.S. It would include a battery storage technology so that electricity could be stored until needed. The project will require a three-mile transmission line to connect to Southern California Edison’s Colorado River Substation.