The US Bureau of Land Management signed off on the project October 5. The project secured the approval of the California Energy Commission last week. Tessera Solar is a division of NTR plc. of Dublin (Ireland).
The 709-MW Imperial Valley Solar Project is located on 6,571 acres located outside of El Centro (California, US). Phase 1 of the project will generate 300 MW of power under a 20‐year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with San Diego Gas & Electric.
Upon completion of the Sunrise Powerlink, Phase 2 of the project will generate an additional 409 MW. “Tessera Solar has achieved a significant milestone securing this joint approval for the Imperial Valley Solar Project in one of the more complex permitting environments in North America,” said Jim Barry, Chief Executive, NTR plc. “A fully permitted project with a utility power purchase agreement of this size creates significant value for Tessera Solar.”
The Imperial Valley Solar Project site was selected a number of years ago for its combination of high intensity sun and access to transmission lines. Since then the company has invested significant funds in preliminary engineering, environmental surveys and site preparation to be in a position to deliver grid‐scale solar energy.
The project is expected to create 300-700 construction jobs and 160 permanent jobs once the facility.
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