The California Energy Commission has temporarily withheld its approval for Tessera Solar’s 663.5-megawatts Calico Solar Project.
According to a Reuters report, the decision is in response to protests that the massive solar thermal project had been improperly licensed without written findings that detail environmental impacts.
According to Tessera however, the CEC has not revoked its approval, rather the effective date of the decision is stayed pending correction of a clerical error.
The company says clerical errors were made in the way the CEC documents for Calico Solar were issued and a Dec 1 vote will address those errors.
The project was approved on October 28, and it is one of seven large-scale solar projects approved by the state in recent weeks. The projects, which will be on public lands, have also been approved by the U.S. Department of Interior.
Tessera Solar must break ground on the San Bernadino County project by the end of the year in order to receive federal Recovery Act funding.
The Commission said it will address the decision on December 1, but environmental group Sierra Club told Reuters it may mount a legal challenge to the project, because of its impact on desert tortoise, fringe-toed lizard and other wildlife.
Read the full story at the link below.
Loading...