A 500 MW solar project planned for federal land in California can begin construction, the Bureau of Land Management says.
The Oberon Solar Project is being developed by Intersect Power on about 2,600 acres in Riverside County. It is the third project approved for full construction under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.
Once complete, the project is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 146,000 homes.
Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber said the approval is "some much-needed good news" for clean energy.
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The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is a landscape-level plan focused on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties that streamlines renewable energy development.
The BLM is currently processing 64 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects — including solar, wind, and geothermal — proposed on public lands in the western United States.
The proposed projects could potentially add a combined 41,000 MW of clean energy to the western electric grid.
The BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of 90 applications for solar and wind development, as well as 51 applications for wind and solar energy testing.
