U.S. Interior to Review Solar, Battery Projects Worth $690 Million in California Desert

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on two proposed solar farms near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, California, according to an Oct. 2 press release. The projects, spanning an area of about 4,000 acres, would result in an estimated infrastructure investment of $689 million and $5.9 million in annual operational benefits.

The solar farms, proposed by Arica Solar LLC and Victory Pass I LLC, are expected to produce enough power to supply about 132,000 homes. The facilities would be located in areas identified as appropriate for renewable energy under the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. Each project would have a generating capacity of up to 265 megawatts with up to 200 megawatts of battery storage.

Written comments are due by Nov. 1. The agency has scheduled a virtual public meeting for Oct. 21 to describe the projects and inform interested parties about the written comment process, as well as the cope of the environmental reviews.