The California Energy Commission (CEC) is reviewing a pair of enormous solar + storage projects proposed by Intersect Power subsidiaries that, if constructed, would each become the largest in the United States. The top spot is currently held by Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage, which fired up in Kern County, CA earlier this year. That project generates 875 MW of solar energy alongside 3,287 MWh of energy storage, boasting a total interconnection capacity of 1,300 MW.
Both proposals were submitted for approval through the CEC’s opt-in certification process, which is intended to streamline the permitting of large renewable energy projects. The CEC is currently reviewing six total projects under the opt-in process. Assembly Bill 205, signed in 2022, was modified by AB 209 to expand the agency’s purview in an effort to accelerate California’s transition to renewable energy while maintaining reliability. Formerly, the CEC could only fast-track thermal powerplants 50 MW or larger, but now the agency offers opt-in certification for solar, wind, and storage facilities. With exceptions, the issuance of a certificate by the CEC replaces any necessary permits, certificates, or similar documents generally required by state, local, regional, or federal agencies and supersedes any applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation of any state, local, regional, or federal agency (to the extent permitted by federal law).
The Darden Clean Energy Project
Intersect subsidiary IP Darden 1 LLC has proposed to construct and operate the Darden Clean Energy Project on about 9,500 acres of land in an agricultural area of unincorporated western Fresno County, south of Cantua Creek, CA.
The project features a 1.15 gigawatt (GW) solar photovoltaic (PV) facility comprised of about 3.1 million solar panels and an up to 4,600 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) capable of storing up to 1.15 GW of electricity for four hours. It would also include a 34.5-500 kilovolt (kV) grid step-up substation, a 10-15 mile 500 kV generation intertie (gen-tie) line, and a 500 kV utility switching station. Initially, IP Darden proposed an up to 800 MW green hydrogen generator as well, but axed that part of the plan earlier this month. The project would interconnect to the existing Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Los Banos-Midway #2 500 kV transmission line.
According to Intersect’s filing with the CEC, the PV facility would be located on approximately 9,100 acres of land currently owned by Westlands Water District that would be purchased by IP Darden. The 500 kV gen-tie line would be sited within an approximate 200-foot wide easement on private lands. Following the construction of the utility switchyard by IP Darden, ownership and operations would transfer to Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).
The CEC hosted an environmental scoping and informational meeting on the proposed Darden Clean Energy Project last Wednesday. Marisa Mitchell, head of environmental and permitting for Intersect, told attendees the project would make use of agricultural land that is no longer viable for crop production. She added Darden would create a “vital point of interconnection” for future clean energy development, which has been stifled in the area for that reason.
The Perkins Renewable Energy Project
The Perkins Renewable Energy Project, proposed by Intersect Power subsidiary IP Perkins LLC, would sit on U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) administered public lands and some private land in Imperial County east of El Centro, California. Like the Darden project, Perkins would feature a 1.15 GW capacity solar facility and up to 1.15 GW of four-hour battery storage (4,600 MWh).
The estimated $2.5 billion project would also include the construction of a new gen-tie line that would connect the project substation to a new high-voltage breaker and a half switchyard. It would be either 200 feet or 1.3 miles in length, depending on the two optional locations of the substation. From the switchyard, two new 500 kilovolt (kV) loop-in transmission lines would be constructed to interconnect to the existing San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E) 500 kV Southwest Power Link Transmission Line that travels east-west just south of the project site.
If approved by the CEC fast-track process, the project could be operational by as early as late 2027 and operate for 50+ years. The Perkins Renewable Energy Project is also receiving federal permitting assistance via the FAST-41 program. Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) and made permanent in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IRA), the Permitting Council is a unique federal agency charged with improving the transparency and predictability of the federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects, coordinating federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage.
A major milestone and other opt-in projects
New data shows California has built out more than 6.6 GW of battery storage, enough electricity to power 6.6 million homes for up to four hours. Another 1.9 GW of storage projects are expected to be online by the end of the year, for a total of 8.5 GW. The state projects it needs at least 52 GW of storage by 2045 to meet its clean energy goals. The Darden and Perkins projects, if approved and constructed to capacity, will account for 2.3 GW of storage additions, putting a significant dent in that target.
As mentioned at the top of the article, the CEC is reviewing four other projects under its fast-tracked opt-in process. Other projects seeking approval include the Compass Energy Storage Project, a 250 MW BESS in San Juan Capistrano; the Fountain Wind Project in Shasta County, consisting of up to 48 wind turbines each with 7.2 MW of capacity; the Potentia-Viridi Battery Energy Storage Project, a 400 MW/3,200 MWh BESS in eastern Alameda County; and the Soda Mountain Solar Project, consisting of up to 300 MW of PV and a 300 MW BESS in San Bernardino County.
Originally published in Renewable Energy World.
