Chevron Solar Millennium OK’d for largest solar plant

Oakland, Calif., September 15, 2010 — Chevron and Solar Millennium, LLC, won unanimous approval from the California Energy Commission to build and operate its Blythe Solar Power Project, a concentrating solar power facility.
Combined, the four 250 MW plants will deliver 1,000 MW of nominal generating capacity, or enough electricity to power more than 300,000 homes annually.
Construction of the first two Blythe solar power plants is expected to begin by the end of the year. The plant complex could start generating power in 2013.
Having received formal approval from the California Energy Commission, the project must now secure a Record of Decision approving the project’s Right of Way Grant from the Federal Bureau of Land Management, which is expected this fall.
The company is also actively pursuing completion of financing with the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program for the first phase of the project, representing about 500 MW of generating capacity.
Converting the high-intensity solar radiation of the California desert into electricity will bring a host of environmental benefits to the state. Once constructed, the solar project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about two million tons per year, or the equivalent of removing more than 300,000 cars from the road.