US company First Solar has received the go-ahead for a 550MW photovoltaic project in California from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is located east of Palm Springs and is expected to contribute $336m to the local economy, including $197m in wages. In June, the US Department of Energy awarded a conditional commitment of a $1.8bn loan guarantee for the development. The project underwent significant environmental scrutiny before it received approval and the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) worked in collaboration with the National Park Service, project developers Desert Sunlight and other stakeholders to reduce the plant’s footprint from 19,000 acres to 4,144 acres. In addition, Desert Sunlight is required by the BLM to provide funding for the acquisition and enhancement of more than 7,500 acres of suitable habitat for desert tortoise and other sensitive species, to help offset the impact on the local habitat...more
With a government permit and $1.8 billion government loan guarantee, it should be a huge success! That loan guarantee means two things: a) they couldn't raise the money in the private sector without it, and b) if it fails the taxpayers get stuck with the tab.
Looks to me like the two primary winners in this are the tortoises and the BLM. The tortoise habitat will almost double and the BLM gets another 7,500 acres to mismanage.
No comments:
Post a Comment