The Bureau of Land Management revealed the full operation of the Blythe Solar Power Project.
The Blythe Solar Power Project – a four-unit, 485-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic facility and 387 MW battery energy storage system in Riverside County, Calif. – is now fully operational. It is anticipated to create enough energy to power around 145,500 houses, according to a Sept. 21 BLM news release.
“Bringing another solar project to full operation on our public lands will accelerate our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs and boosting local economies," Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in the release. "The Interior Department will continue to advance the sustainable development of clean energy in order to help meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035.”
Other officials praised the project and have optimism for the future in the release.
“The Blythe Solar Power Project is another example of how BLM-managed public lands are powering our clean energy future – including through added battery energy storage systems to these important projects,” Tracy Stone-Manning, director of the Bureau of Land Management, said, according to the release. “The BLM will continue its swift work to ensure that renewable energy projects have a transparent and predictable process to help ensure their success.”
Developed by NextEra Energy Resources LLC, the project was approved in August 2014, according to the BLM National NEPA Register. It is situated two miles north of U.S. Interstate-10 (I-10) and eight miles west of the city of Blythe in an unicorporated area of Riverside County, Calif.
