California Energy Commission Approves World's Largest Solar Power Project
California state regulators have unanimously approved Solar Millennium's US$4 billion Blythe solar power project.
The solar thermal power plant will be the world's largest, and is expected to produce 1,000 megawatts of energy -- enough to power 800,000 homes. The plant will be located on public land near the Arizona border.
Before Solar Millennium (ETR:S2M) can begin construction, the project needs to be approved by the federal government's Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM is scheduled to vote on the Blythe solar plant next month. Company officials hope to have construction underway by the end of the year.
Speaking about the state's approval, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "I applaud the California Energy Commission's decision to approve the construction of the Blythe Solar Power Project -- the world's largest -- and am excited to see other solar projects move forward. Projects like this need our immediate attention, as solar and renewable power are the future of the California economy."
With news of the approval, Solar Millennium's stock price rose 22.26%.
Read the full story at CBS47 News: State OKs $4 billion SoCal solar project
Image credit: Solar Millennium
Learn more about Solar Power on eBoom's Solar Energy Learning page.
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
Energy Boom content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be advice regarding the investment merits of, or a recommendation regarding the purchase or sale of, any security identified on, or linked through, this site.
| Rate this story | Share | Subscribe | ||
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
