May 21 2010
An agreement has been inked by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to purchase power from a solar photovoltaic power plant which is likely to be located close to the San Diego metropolitan region.
The utility intends to transmit the power through the yet-to-be-approved transmission line Sunrise Powerlink.
The developer of this photovoltaic plant LS Power indicates that the plant is likely to have 125 MW capacity. LS Power operates transmission lines and traditional power plants. Also, a subsidiary of LS Power is constructing a solar PV plant having 10 MW capacity in Dover, Delaware.
The solar photovoltaic power plant is likely to be constructed on a farmland close to Calexico, California. Recently, San Diego Gas & Electric has inked a power purchase agreement for 20 years with a subsidiary of LS Power for around 130 MW of generation from the proposed power facility Centinela Solar Energy. This proposed plant is likely to commence operation by 2014.
The proposed 500,000-V power line Sunrise Powerlink is yet to be approved by the U.S. Forest Service. Approvals already given by the federal Bureau of Land Management and the California Public Utilities Commission are currently being challenged by the power line’s opponents in court.
Meanwhile, Imperial Valley Solar which is another solar project having 750 MW capacity is being proposed in the San Diego area. This solar project is likely to utilize the concentrating solar power technology.