California Energy Commission staff gives Opt-In Program update, six projects being processed
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has six projects currently in its Opt-In Program to bypass local permitting, with two applications that have been deemed complete so far.
Staff with the CEC told NPM that the two “complete” applications are for Intersect Power’s Darden hybrid project and ConnectGen’s Fountain Wind. Having these applications deemed complete kicks off the start of the timeline for the certification process.
The 205 MW Fountain Wind project, located in Shasta County, California, will connect to the regional grid operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), while the 1,150 MW solar / 4,600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) / 800 MW green hydrogen Darden project is located in Fresno County, California, and will interconnect with PG&E’s Los Banos-Midway #2 500 kV transmission line.
The other four projects are still working toward a complete application.
“So, they may have filed an application, but staff is still assessing its completeness, or staff may be requesting more information from the applicant,” CEC staff said.
Currently, the six project locations range from Alameda and Shasta counties down to San Juan Capistrano, Imperial, and San Bernadino counties in California.
“In addition to these six projects, CEC staff have had preliminary discussions with the owners of seven additional projects, though none have filed an application yet,” staff added.
When asked if the program, which is still relatively new, has been proven successful, the CEC said that it is still too early at this point.
“The program is still ramping up and no project has gone through the entire process yet,” staff said.
Other projects in the program include:
ENGIE’s 250 MW Compass Energy Storage in the City of San Juan Capistrano. This is a 13-acre four-hour lithium-ion phosphate battery energy storage system (BESS), and would include a switchyard, collector substation, and other associated equipment to interconnect into the existing San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) Trabuco to Capistrano 138 kV transmission line. The project would connect to SDG&E’s electric transmission system via a proposed loop-in transmission line to be constructed, and o off-site transmission upgrades would be required for the project’s full capacity. An Interconnection agreement with SDG&E and CAISO has been implemented.
Intersect Power’s 1,150 MW IP Perkins solar photovoltaic and BESS on US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) administered public land, and private lands in Imperial County east of El Centro, California. The project would include the construction of a new gen-tie line about 1.3 miles depending on the two optional locations of the substation. From the switchyard, two new 500 kV loop-in transmission lines would be built to interconnect to SDG&E’s 500 kV Southwest Power Link Transmission Line. Depending on the timeline of the interconnection agreement, if approved by the CEC, the project could be operational by 2027.
Levy Alameda, LLC is a subsidiary of Obra Maestra Renewables, which is pursuing the 400 MW Potentia-Viridi BESS on about 85 acres in eastern Alameda County with a COD of June 2028. The primary components of the project include an up to 3,200 MWh BESS, substation, 500 kV overhead intertie transmission line, and interconnection facilities within PG&E owned and operated Tesla Substation. As of 2023, Obra Maestra was a joint venture owned by Capstone Infrastructure Corporation and Eurowind Energy.
VC Renewables’ 300 MW solar and 300 MW BESS Soda Mountain project, which includes future decommissioning anticipated after 30 years of operation. It is located on 2,670 acres of land administered by the US Department of Interior, BLM, California Desert District, and within the jurisdiction of the Barstow Field Office in San Bernadino County. The project consists of solar plant site, solar arrays, substation and switchyard for interconnection, and BESS. It would interconnect to the existing Marketplace-Adelanto 500 kV transmission line operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
*This story was originally published exclusively for NPM subscribers last month.
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