Assembly's Salas helps cut ribbon on new Solar Demonstration Project

“I am pleased to attend the ribbon cutting for this important project. These efforts are directly in line with my bill AB 2630, which seeks to unlock renewable energy development and bring much needed jobs to the Central Valley,” said Salas.

“This project shows us how the Central Valley can become a major source of power for the state while bringing clean energy and good jobs to the region.”

“The completion of Westlands Solar Park’s pilot project and the sale of the energy to the City of Anaheim after seven years of planning mark a major milestone in the commencement of Westlands Solar Park,” said Daniel Kim, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for Westlands Solar Park. “We appreciate the input and guidance from our government and industry leaders, environmental organizations and the agricultural community to advance this key solar generation project, which is vital in achieving California’s renewable energy goals.”

Westlands Solar Park is a public-private effort to master plan renewable development and infrastructure for large scale solar projects in the Central Valley. The Westlands Solar Park is the only state designated renewable energy zone in central California and enjoys strong levels of support from both environmental and agricultural communities. These solar panels are producing electricity for use around the state.

AB 2630 will require the California Energy Commission (CEC) and Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to evaluate potential renewable energy projects on least-conflict lands. This evaluation will allow the CEC and CPUC to recommend an amount of renewable energy production in the Central and San Joaquin Valley that reasonably maximizes the use of those lands toward renewable energy development.

The project unveiled today will produce 2 megawatts of electricity. At full build out, the total anticipated amount of power that the Westlands Solar Park will produce is 2,000 megawatts which will make it one of the largest solar parks in the United States. The first pilot phase of the project has just completed construction and begun energy deliveries.