Printable VersionA Lake Havasu City-based company that is working to develop a 1,200MW solar plant north of Pilot has decided to hold off on filing with Western Area Power Administration so the firm can consider its options, according to the project’s consulting engineer.
The company is looking into different types of solar power generating technology that would be a vehicle to create renewable energy at the proposed Sterling Solar Generating Facility.
“We are concerned some (solar) technologies might use a lot of water. We have seen the opposition with other proposed projects in Mohave County and it is something we are trying to avoid,” Clinton said.
Sterling Solar is large-scale solar project proposed for a 10,300-acre property located immediately northwest of the intersection of Interstate 40 and State Route 95. The project is an estimated $5 billion investment, according to Clinton.
In the autumn of 2008, members of Needles Mountain approached the large parcel owners’ group, Topock Mesa Limited Partnership, in regard to the vision of building what could be the largest solar project in the county upon completion.
According to earlier reports, Mohave County supervisors approved a subdivision named Sterling for the same area in 1998. At the time, the subdivision plan consisted of 50,000 homes, 16 new schools, Sheriff’s substations, firehouses, golf courses, parks and areas set aside for commercial development.
Early in 2008, county supervisors approved the development of a pair of Community Facilities Districts for that area in the amount of $450 million. The tax levy would be linked to the properties within the proposed development and generate funding to cover the cost of the subdivision’s infrastructure.
Clinton said Monday the CFD funding might still be in tact for a specific portion of the property. The recently proposed solar project would ultimately be situated on about 8,000 acres.
The remaining 2,300 acres along the Sacramento Wash is not suitable for the proposed solar project and will remain zoned for light industrial, municipalities, manufacturing and golf courses within the realm of the Sterling master plan, Clinton said.
There are no intentions of developing the area now but the possibility remains in range, he said.
Sterling Solar Generating Facility developers are currently discussing plan details with county developmental services staff. Developers are anticipating an amendment to the to the area plan to accommodate the project and it is expected to be presented to county planning and zoning commissioners in late April, Clinton said.
Furthermore, developers are hoping to use a new e-zone overlay that county supervisors recently implemented into the county’s roster in the latter part of 2008.
The energy zone overlay, or e-zone, allows energy projects such as wind or solar to operate with a zoning use permit. The overlay includes a decommission clause that will restore the site to the originally established zoning, according to the county general plan.
The Sterling Solar project is also facing roadblocks such as transmission access issues, the need for upgraded power lines as well as desert tortoise populations, Clinton said.
The project does not require excessive excavation of the natural landscape therefore minimal effects on the natural habitat are expected. The property is deemed a class III desert tortoise population area, which is the lowest population classification, he said.
In a press release issued by the office of Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson, R-Dist. 3, the facility is expected to transfer power to markets in Arizona, California and Nevada.
During construction, the project is expected to create 1,500 new local and regional jobs for six years during construction. Once completed, the facility will sustain 400 permanent positions. The facility could also increase the Mohave County tax base by an estimated $6 million, the press release said.
You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.
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