The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved a power purchase agreement for the 247-megawatt Panoche Valley solar project, according to an organization against the project.
The utilities commission regulates such private-industry matters as those related to electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries, according to the CPUC.
The approval confirmed in a Sierra Club press statement—the organization has opposed the project—marks another major milestone for PV2 Energy, the company behind the $1 billion endeavor in San Benito County.
PV2 in August reached a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison for the 247 megawatts. The CPUC decision solidifies the partnership’s prospects, but the project still must clear a state environmental review and other examinations.
Solargen Energy first proposed the Panoche Valley project in 2009, but when the company ran into financial problems in 2011, PV2 bought the assets for the project. Duke Energy Renewables, part of the largest utility company in the country, formed a partnership with PV2 but has since reduced its role.
According to the Sierra Club, the project still must gain an OK from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife on “take” permits for harm to threatened and endangered species. The Army Corps of Engineers will need to issue a section 404 permit, and the county will need to complete the California Environmental Quality Act process and issue an environmental impact statement.
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