The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Western Area Power Administration have released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed 100MW Quartzsite Solar Energy Project in Arizona, US.
Quartzsite Solar Energy (QSE), a subsidiary of SolarReserve, is hoping to build the project on 678 hectares of BLM-administered land in La Paz County.
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The project will involve constructing a 653-foot tower surrounded by up to 17,500 heliostats. The heliostats will focus the sun’s rays on a point at the top of the tower where the concentrated heat will be used to create steam, which would be used to power traditional steam turbine generators.
QSE will construct, operate, maintain and decommission the project, which will generate an estimate 450GWh of solar power every year.
Western Area Power Administration, a US Department of Energy agency, took the lead in preparing the EIS. If built, the project would be connected to Western’s power transmission lines.
Major projects that involve federal land or resources are required by law to be evaluated in an EIS. The EIS evaluates the effects of the proposed project on all resources, including wildlife, groundwater, cultural, and vegetation.
A decision on the project is expected in spring 2013.