The Ivanpah project, for which BrightSource secured $1.37bn in conditional loan guarantees from the US Department of Energy, will be located in south eastern California and will consist of three separate solar thermal power plants.
BrightSource Energy has commissioned Bechtel, an engineering and construction company, for building this project, which on completion will produce enough clean energy to power 140,000 homes and is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually.
The company has secured two separate power purchase agreements from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) for the Ivanpah solar plants, with PG&E purchasing approximately two-thirds of the power generated at Ivanpah and SCE approximately one-third.
The project, which is scheduled to commence construction in fall 2010, is anticipated to create more than 1,000 local union jobs at the peak of construction and provide $650m in employee wages over its first 30-year life.
BrightSource Energy president and CEO John Woolard said that the company is thankful for the Commission’s approval of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, and for the thorough review it has received from state and federal agencies.
“We look forward to commencing construction on Ivanpah and setting a model for environmentally-responsible utility-scale solar projects,” Woolard said.
