By MARK WAITE – Pahrump Valley Times
The Public Utilities Commission approved a Utility Environmental Protection Act permit to Solar Millennium to construct two, 250-megawatt solar power plants in Amargosa Valley, in an order issued Feb. 14.
The UEPA is one of the key permits the company is required to obtain to build the project.
“That just tells us to make sure what permits we have to have before we pull a building permit for construction. We start making minor milestones,” said Billy Owens, the Solar Millennium director of project development.
The most important permit was a U.S. Department of the Interior record of decision giving Solar Millennium the right-of-way to 4,400 acres of public land, approved last September.
The PUC noted Solar Millennium, dba Amargosa Valley Solar I LLC, applied to the state engineer’s office to transfer an existing water right from agricultural to industrial and permission to drill a new well for redundancy of supply.
Besides that, Solar Millennium will acquire at least 236 acre feet per year of additional water rights to mitigate the impact of water use.
The company will also contribute $6,000 per year to support three monitoring wells to measure effects of water use on sensitive species at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Devil’s Hole, the PUC said.
Owens said the water rights process has gone well for the company, the state engineer has gone through the evaluation. They’re waiting on Solar Millennium to turn in a business agreement where the water rights would be retired.
Valley Electric Association will obtain the permits to construct, own and operate a 230 kilovolt transmission line from the Johnnie substation two miles to the Amargosa Valley switchyard, according to the UEPA.
The PUC noted Solar Millennium has not yet filed a transmission service request with NV Energy to deliver the output from the plant to either Nevada or California energy markets. Solar Millennium signed a memorandum of understanding with NV Energy but doesn’t yet have a power purchase agreement.
Nevada Revised Statute 704.890 requires the PUC to make several findings before approving the UEPA:
* The project won’t emit greenhouse gases but will use renewable energy as its primary source of energy.
* “The project will assist the State of Nevada in its effort to diversify its economy by exploiting one of the state’s abundant natural resources sunshine and will increase the supply of solar-generated electricity in the wholesale market, thereby providing greater assurance that state mandates in Nevada and California that require the use of such electricity can be met.”
* The project represents the minimum adverse effect on the environment.
* Solar Millennium is in the process of obtaining all the necessary permits, licenses and approvals.
* The project will serve the public interest by employing an average of 650 construction workers during the 39-month construction period; employ 70 to 100 permanent employees; purchase $50 to $75 million in supplies from local businesses during construction and generate up to $30 million in property taxes for Nye County during construction, after the 55 percent property tax abatement.
No protests or interventions were filed. A pre-hearing conference was held March 4, 2010; the PUC decided to cancel a second prehearing conference scheduled for Jan. 10, 2011.
The agencies that filed comments included the BLM Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council which requested lighting that would allow for dark skies. The Bureau of Water Pollution Control said a review of engineering plans, stormwater permits, onsite sewage disposal and groundwater discharges might be required.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife expressed concerns over the water supply mitigation. The Nevada Division of State Lands inquired about the cumulative impact of all the solar projects and their impacts to public lands.
The UEPA outlined a long list of permits that will be required before the permit will be issued. They include:
* A dust control permit, a stormwater discharge permit, industrial activities permit, groundwater discharge permit and commercial septic system permit from the Bureau of Water Pollution Control;
* The BLM has to approve the plan of development.
* The U.S. Defense Department requires a complex sustainability office review.
* The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires a section 404 permit.
* The Federal Aviation Administration must issue a no hazard declaration and a biological opinion with an incidental take permit.
* The Division of Water Resources must approve water rights for the construction.
* A business tax license is required from the Nevada Department of Taxation.
* A permit is required from the Nevada Division of Forestry for the disturbance of any native plant species or habitat threatened with extinction and disturbance of any wildlife or wildlife habitat.
* The company needs a building permit and a business license from Nye County.
* Nye County public works must approve a drainage plan and an Amargosa Farm Road and access road improvement plan.
The last projection was the company expected to break ground in September. But this week Owens said, “It probably won’t be September. We’re really trying to get it done by the end of the calendar year.”
Notice the “public good” statement.
Lots of jobs during construction and lots of materials.
This is what’s called a BOONDOGGLE.
What will be the cost of energy derived from this plant?
Oooops. No comment. It will be SEVERAL TIMES what we are paying for fossil fuels now. Several times.
Oh, and don’t forget the “credits”, “rebates”, and “incentives”, that WE pay thru our taxes to the builders of this boondoggle. Remember, there has NEVER been a solar or wind plant put into operation that produces energy on a competitive cost basis with traditional plants. Never.
Welcome to the world of greenie energy. Remember what Obama said, “Under MY plan, electricity rates will necessarily SKYROCKET.”
Yeah, I am not too sure this will do much to help with anything.. but hey.. they will pay for it regardless, its not like they ask us.
so, you would rather we depend on fossil fuels, including oil…now at $100 a barrel and slated to go up?
This project will not replace fossil fuel. This project will require millions of tons of fossil fuel for construction and parts and heating steel. People will have to commute to get to work in gas burning cars.
This is the most fossil fuel dependent way to use clean energy. If you believe this will replace fossil fuel and can not see how much will be needed just to build the monstrosity, you probably bought that swamp land…
They have come a long way with solar.
Than there is sulfer hexaflouride, SF6 Gas. I don’t know if Don likes renewable energy for just jobs, Homeland Security or Climate Change. Solar Millennium will do little to assist in any of this, but the EPA is saying SG6 is 24,000 times more potent than C02! http://www.epa.gov/electricpower-sf6/basic.html
It is used as an insulator gas in transmission. It is also a greenhouse gas. Hey, Solar Milennium needs new transmission!
Only a couple full time jobs would go to local people. Most of them will be either union guys from somewhere else or temporary construction workers (from somewhere else)
The project depends on vehicles running on fossil fuel to go to and from work. The life span of the project is 30 years. So for your sake, Don (because you just love this project) we will need to import oil from Saudi Arabia for at least 30 years to keep Solar Millennium in business!
I would MUCH rather we rely on “fossil fuels” as the left likes to call them. We have more than enough right here in the USA. Time to drill and stop the crying over the environment. Other countries dont seem to have these problems with drilling.
Solar power and electric clown cars are not going to solve this issue.
I agree with you Don. Solar has come a long way. Solar and electric power are the new future. Although it will take some people longer to realize than others.
Just wait until you run out of water and are paying .23 to .25 cents a kilowatt hour for power. That sounds like a plan, huh???? Also these solar plants are relying on OUR TAXPAYER money to fund most of the money for their plants. What a joke….on us.
A couple details here:
Solar Millennium still has no idea where the 236 acre feet will come from. The water right they are using and “retiring” is just sitting there. It will be changed from agricultural use to industrial. That is a 30 percent net loss right there.
There were actually 5 water protests due to the fact that the project is within 25 miles of Devil’s Hole. The three Federal protests including the one from BLM were all tossed out because Ken Salazar, Barack Obama and Solar Millennium are all sweet on each other.
The Nevada State Engineer usually would never change that Devil’s Hole State Law 1197 for a private company like that.
And just for fun: Solar Millennium gave the corrupt politician Bob Beckett 2,500 bucks just to buy his support!
I’m sitting here laughing to myself and thinking, “You know, with so many NAYSAYERS, I now no longer wonder why this area is in the condition that it is.”
~Big Thanx for the Smiles~ 8o)
Solar power is one of the biggest scams this administration has fostered on the American public. The scam is that taxpayers money is being used to support it in the form of a Department of Energy guarantee.
Clean energy that makes no sense due to its high cost.
The problem isn’t that it doesn’t work. It’s the price.
There are always issues with these “alternative energy sources.” They know the project isn’t going to produce energy that people can afford. But they knew the dumb greenies would throw their money at them because it was “alternative”.
This is exactly what part of cap and trade was about, to jack the price of coal energy so high as to make green energy economical to produce but prohibited to pay for by the average consumer. Cheap clean energy is available via natural gas of which there is at least a 150 year supply. Natty gas is the lowest price in decades because of the abundance of it. There is even a 300 year supply of coal which is becoming cleaner to burn due to new technological advances. “Green” energy can never compete with these energy sources unless huge taxes on them make it uneconomic to use.
But in one sense this is really what it is all about. Throwing money around everywhere until some of it sticks.
“The project will serve the public interest by employing an average of 650 construction workers during the 39-month construction period; employ 70 to 100 permanent employees; purchase $50 to $75 million in supplies from local businesses during construction and generate up to $30 million in property taxes…………….”
What a boondoggle this project is.
you talk about how much water will be needed for this solar plant but infact if its coal oil gas and even nuclear, water is require to produce steam to generate any power. and what about the supply lines needed to truck in or railroad in coal what that price?oil and gas need pipelines be built and maintained yearlywhat that price? solar would have less mechanical issues too, less moving parts but you will need a window washer. geting to the plant(during building and complete) no matter what kind it is i.e. gas solar coal or nuclear is going to produce green house gases but to cut down on that you can carpool and most construction workers do to save on gas and money. and no matter which resource is used the powor plants will aways get a tax break paid by us. green is not cheap but as history shows tech gets better better ever year but it does not get cheaper.