Panoche Valley Solar Project to be Downsized
ByPanoche Valley Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Development Inc., entered into a settlement agreement with three environmental groups: the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, as well as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) concerning the size and location of a solar project currently underway in California’s Panoche Valley. Specifically, the agreement concerns the relocation of a portion of a contentious large solar project planned for San Benito County at a site in Imperial County close to the border of Mexico.
Originally, 247 megawatts of solar generation were planned for the Panoche Valley site, but 100 megawatts will be moved to Imperial County, as developing there will have less impact on threatened and endangered species and their habitat. The relocation of that portion of the solar farm is subject to approval by the Southern California Edison (SCE) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The settlement will also clear up several legal challenges brought against the project by the environmental groups…