Commission says NextEra’s 485-MW California solar scheme will harm environment

Oct 16, 2013 - The California Energy Commission said Tuesday that NextEra Energy’s (NYSE:NEE) 485-MW Blythe solar project in California would have a significant impact on the environment.

The agency conducted an assessment on the USD-1.13-billion (EUR 835m) project and published its views in two separate stages. The first portion of the review from September stated that with recommended mitigation measures the project’s influence to the environment would be “less than significant”. However, the second part of the examinations concluded that the project would negatively affect areas of biological and cultural resources, result in negative land use, visual and cultural effects, even with the proposed mitigation measures. The Energy Commission’s report is not California’s final decision on the scheme and serves as a testimony in the process of examining the environmental, engineering, public health and safety impacts of the project, the commission noted.

The Blythe project was previously owned by Palo Verdes Solar I LLC, a unit of Solar Millennium, which was granted consent for a 1,000-MW solar thermal power plant. Later the technology was changed to photovoltaics (PV). NextEra in April this year cut its size by more than a half to 485 MW, with its amended proposal involving the installation of three separate solar plants of 125 MW each and a fourth one of 110 MW. If consented, the solar park will be constructed for 48 months.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.739)

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