The Blythe project would use parabolic trough mirror technology

Regulators have issued their views on the 1,000MW Blythe solar power project proposed for the southern California desert, kicking off a 90-day public comment period.

The California Energy Commission and US Bureau of Land Management staff published their evaluation of the project on Thursday.

The project is being developed by German-owned Solar Millennium, LLC and San Francisco-based Chevron Energy Solutions.

It would comprise four adjacent independent solar plants across 7,030 acres of federal land in Riverside County, some eight miles west of the city of Blythe.

The four plants would use concentrated solar thermal technology, in the form of parabolic trough mirrors focusing sunlight on a central pipe containing a heat transfer fluid. This fluid would be turned into steam to drive a turbine.

Each of the four plants would have a capacity of 250 megawatt output.

Recovery funding

Solar Millennium, LLC and Chevron Energy Solutions, who are jointly developing the project, are aiming to start construction by December 2010 in order to qualify for federal funding via the Recovery Act.

The project is expected to require a 69-month construction period, and could start operations in the second quarter of 2013.

In their evaluation of the project, the California Energy Commission and the BLM, which owns the land on which the plants are proposed, said the plans do comply with applicable laws, ordinances regulations and standards assuming all proposed mitigation measures are carried out.

However, the regulators do note that there are still discussions underway about certain wildlife issues, particularly golden eagles and desert tortoises.

The staff evaluation also notes that the visual impact of the solar project will be “significant”, something that could not be mitigated to levels below the “significant” threshold. Further information is being sought.

Following the public comment period on the staff assessment, during which a public workshop is to be held in April, a Supplemental Staff Assessment and a Final Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be published, in which there would be a response to any public comments.

This is expected to be published in July, with the Bureau of Land Management then free to issue a final decision 30 days afterwards.