BrightSource gets nod for two amended PPAs with Southern California Edison

Oct 26, 2012 - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved two amended power purchase agreements (PPAs) for solar thermal projects between US solar thermal power developer BrightSource Energy with utility Southern California Edison.

The contracts envisage the total annual supply of 1.3 million MWh of power, enough to save over 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, BrightSource said in a statement yesterday.

One of the agreements is for a solar tower project planned to generate 573,000 MWh of power a year at the Rio Mesa site of BrightSource. The plant will use BrightSource's LPT solar thermal technology featuring a tall tower that enables a high concentration of heliostats. The second contract is for a unit designed to produce 733,000 mWh of power a year at BrightSource's Sonoran West site. The unit will utilise BrightSource's Solar Plus molten salt storage system.

In November 2011, BrightSource and Southern California agreed to amend their set of PPAs for 4 million MWh of power a year from seven plants. The amended package of PPAs features the same amount of power from five plants, three of which to have energy storage technology. While approving two of the PPAs, CPUC denied cost recovery for three PPAs for a 200-MW project at the Rio Mesa site and two 200-MW projects at the Siberia site.

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