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California and federal government partner up to fast-track renewable energy projects

California and federal government partner up to fast-track renewable energy projects Joshua trees with Cima Dome in the background, Mojave Desert, California (source: flickr/ Mollivan Jon, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 17 Jan 2012

The Department of the Interior and California's governor sign agreement to help speed up renewable energy development, in particular the fast-track approval process for projects planned in California. Geothermal projects on the priority list of BLM for 2012 are Caso Diablo and New York Canyon.

Reported on Nasdaq, U.S. and California officials said they will fast track approve of “six solar and wind farms and a geothermal power plant proposed for public land as part of a clean-energy push”. This comes after Secretary of the Interior and California Governor Edmund G. Brown signed an agreement to expand a state and federal partnership to expedite renewable energy projects in California.

“Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his agency would continue a three-year-old collaboration with California to speed approval of renewable-energy projects and the transmission lines needed to connect them to the grid.

California utilities are required to use solar, wind or other renewable power for one-third of the electricity they sell by 2020, as part of the state’s 2006 plan to fight climate change.”

These are generally good news and might help some of the Californian projects to receive faster approval for development, an important element as permitting currently holds back development of geothermal projects in the U.S.

The geothermal projects on the priority list for the BLM 2012 are currently: Caso Diablo by developer Mammoth Pacific with a potential capacity of 33 MW and New York Canyon a 62 MW project by Terra-Gen. (see BLM)

Source: BLM Announcement, NASDAQ