Construction has now begun on the 137 megawatt (MW) Springbok 1 Solar project being developed roughly 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, California, according to recent reports.
The developers — 8minutenergy Renewables and DE Shaw Renewable Investments — have already secured a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Kern County project, reportedly. That deal has been stated to be with the Southern California Public Power Authority, for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
As it stands now, the project which is being developed on 283 hectares of farmland in Kern County is expected to be completed sometime before June 2016 — and will reportedly displace roughly 300,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Considering that the project entered development all the way back in 2011, that makes for a roughly 5-year development time frame.
Engineering, procurement, and construction services are being provided by Swinerton Builders, with construction management being led by partner firms of the developers.
The president of 8minutenergy Renewables, Tom Buttgenbach, commented on the overall situation: “We enjoyed working with SCPPA/LADWP and Kern County Planning and Development Department. We are particularly pleased that this project received unanimous votes and the full support of all approving agencies as well as the local community and environmental groups. The Springbok 1 Solar Farm will create an estimated 300 direct and 400 indirect jobs during construction in Kern County.”
Given the scale of the project, once completed (and connected to the grid via the Southern California Public Power Authority), the region’s solar energy capacity will see a fair uptick — something that is thankfully becoming more and more common lately.
Image Credit: 8minutenergy Renewables
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