Friday, August 23, 2013

USA, California:

Bidding Starts on West Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area (Imperial Valley Press)

Chocolate Mountains (Wikipedia Commons)
More than 64,000 acres of the West Chocolate Mountains is up for bid by developers wanting to use the land for solar or geothermal projects.

The West Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area (REEA) was recently created by the federal government to provide renewable energy to the surrounding areas. A potential 3,306 MWe of solar energy and up to 150 MWe of geothermal energy can come from this land. This translates into 3.5 million homes that will be able to use this energy.

A timeline for geothermal projects is not available because a site-specific National Environmental Policy Act will be required before any future project can be approved. The act, which was put in place to protect the environment and wildlife, stipulates federal government agencies prepare environmental assessments and environmental impact statements of the area.

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