United States govt clears plan for 500-MW desert solar park in California

• The United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has given the green light to the 500-MW Oberon solar project to be set up on public lands in the desert region of California's Riverside County.

The federal government firm said on Thursday that the positive decision authorises a right-of-way for Oberon Solar LLC to construct as well as run the solar (PV) park on around 2,600 acres (1,052 ha) of BLM-managed lands near Desert Center.

The facility will can creating electricity for roughly 142,000 homes, when functional. It will be combined with a 200-MW battery storage facility.

Approval to Oberon Solar contributes to BOEM's recent approval of Clearway Energy Group LLC's Arica as well as Victory Pass solar projects in eastern Riverside County, with a mixed power generation capacity of 465 MW and also approximately 400 MW of battery storage. All three projects are prepared for locations thought about to be appropriate for renewable energy advancement under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) in the desert regions of seven California counties.

The awarded consents sustain Congress' direction in the Energy Act of 2020 to permit 25 GW of solar, wind and geothermal manufacturing on public lands no later than 2025. The target is lined up with the nation's efforts to create 100% carbon-free power by 2035.