Vast solar project in California desert gets green light

The Crimson Solar Project is to be located near the small city of Blythe, around 200 miles from Los Angeles

A vast solar project with the potential to power nearly 90,000 homes has been given the go ahead by the Biden administration.

The Crimson Solar Project will be located on 2,000 acres of public lands close to the Californian city of Blythe, around 200 miles east of Los Angeles. The city is near the Arizona border in the Colorado desert and gets around 360 days of sunshine a year.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gave its final approval on Monday. The $550 million project will create around 650 temporary construction jobs, ten permanent jobs and 40 temporary jobs in operations and maintenance over 30 years, the Department of Interior said.

The Biden administration has made the expansion of renewable energy a key pillar in its plan to tackle the climate crisis while creating jobs, a U-turn from former President Donald Trump’s focus on fossil fuels.

President Biden announced last month a new US target to achieve up to 52 per cent reduction from 2005 levels of greenhouse gas pollution by 2030.

“The time for a clean energy future is now. We must make bold investments that will tackle climate change and create good-paying American jobs,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement.

“Projects like this can help to make America a global leader in the clean energy economy through the acceleration of responsible renewable energy development on public lands.”

The facility is being constructed by Canadian solar company, Recurrent Energy, and will deliver power through California utility Southern California Edison.

Along with the solar photovoltaic facility, the project will also have a battery storage system.

The site is on land designated for renewable energy development by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, a deal between the state of California and the Obama administration to allocate areas for wind and solar farms.

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