Projects
Federal judge blocks work at Nevada geothermal plant for 90 days
Associated Press – January 5
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones said Tuesday he intends to temporarily block any construction work for 90 days at a proposed geothermal power plant in Nevada that opponents said would destroy a sacred tribal site and could result in extinction of a rare toad being considered for endangered species protection. Judge Jones said he’s going to refuse a request for a longer injunction sought by tribal leaders and conservationists that would have prohibited any activity at the site until he can hear full arguments and rule on the merits of a lawsuit they filed last month. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said in announcing the project’s approval in November that the two 30-MW geothermal plants would help Nevada meet its renewable portfolio requirement that the state’s utilities procure 25% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025.
Major solar project in eastern Kern nears construction
Bakersfield Californian – December 27
Construction could begin soon near Rosamond on a 2,317-acre photovoltaic solar farm whose Southern California-based developer is seeking permission to run a 6.5-mile electrical transmission line through part of Edwards Air Force Base. Expected to begin operation in 2023, developer 8minute Solar Energy’s Aratina Solar Center would produce up to 530 MW of electricity. The project is to include a large battery facility for storing energy on the site.
Kentucky to build state’s largest solar project on former coal mine
Yale Environment 360 – December 29
The renewable energy firm, Savion, is building a 200-MW solar installation on a former coal mine on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia. When completed, it will be the largest solar project in Kentucky. The Martin County Solar Project will stretch across 1,200 acres of the Martiki coal mine, an abandoned mountaintop strip mine. Most of the workers on the project are expected to be former coal miners, PV Magazine reported.
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