A new source of power is online as the Bureau of Land Management announced the completion of the Blythe Mesa Solar Project, which is expected to produce solar energy to light up 94,000 homes.
In a Bureau of Land Management news release, the project, also known as Athos III, was described as having energy production and storage, can provide 224 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity and features a 112-megawatt battery storage system. The project is situated on a 3,600-acre tract on bureau-managed land near Riverside County.
“The completion of the Blythe Mesa (Athos III) solar energy project helps meet the Department of the Interior’s commitment to accelerate responsible development of renewable energy on public lands and the BLM’s mission to sustainably manage public lands,” BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen said in the news release.
According to planning data from the BLM, the project was first approved in the summer of 2015 and the project began the following year.
The project was originally owned by RRG Renewables, according to the news release, but Intersect Power assumed ownership in 2020 and construction started the next year.
According to its website, Intersect also has additional projects in the Golden State, including Athos I, Athos II and Aragom, as well as projects currently operating in Texas. Ultimately, the company said it hopes to eventually produce 630 MW of solar power.
Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber said the company reached a milestone with the project as a developer, operator and owner of clean energy, according to a news release.
“Athos III demonstrates that Intersect continues to pioneer procurement standards for our industry that live up to the vision of the IRA,” he said in the news release. “This project is much more than a significant new source of clean energy for California's energy system; it's also a case study in how the clean energy industry can maximize our impact by prioritizing domestic supply chains and union labor to ensure the benefits of the clean energy transition are felt by all Americans.”
