American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA) Solar Projects Progress at the Energy Commission

Transcription

1 American Reinvestment & Recvery Act (ARRA) Slar Prjects Prgress at the Energy Cmmissin Unplugged: The Renewable Energy Panel Speaker Series September 29, 2010 Rger Jhnsn Califrnia Energy Cmmissin

2 ARRA Opprtunity and Timelines Grant in Lieu f Investment Tax Credit (ITC) Cash grant prvided by US Treasury t cver up t 30% f upfrnt prject csts fr eligible renewable energy prjects Deadlines: State & federal permitting prcesses must be cmplete by year end 2010 Prjects must start cnstructin by year end 2010, and cme n line per specified dates. Safe harbr prvisins may permit expenditure f 5% f certain prject csts by year end as an alternative t physical cnstructin start. Slar thermal prjects need t be in service n later than year end 2016 Page 2

3 ARRA Opprtunity and Timelines Department f Energy (DOE) Lan Guarantee DOE will repay cnstructin cst f lan if brrwer defaults n bank lan Available t renewable generatrs OR facilities that manufacture related renewable energy cmpnents Deadline: Prject cnstructin must start by September 30, 2011 Prjects that cannt meet Treasury Grant deadlines may still qualify fr lan guarantee Page 3

4 Califrnia Energy Cmmissin (CEC) Mandate Under Warren-Alquist Act CEC permit is in lieu f any state r lcal permit fr thermal pwer plants with a capacity f >50 megawatts (MW) CEC is Califrnia Envirnmental Quality Act (CEQA) lead agency Certified Regulatry Prgram equivalent f envirnmental impact reprt endangered species, cultural resurces, visual, sciecnmic effects Alternatives Significant impacts must be mitigated r verridden Cmpliance with laws, rdinances, regulatins and standards Safety and Reliability Pwer plant siting prcess prvides a building permit fr apprved prjects, and CEC is Chief Building Official Page 4

5 Data Adequacy CEC Siting/Permitting Prcess Minimum requirements t accept applicatin Staff Discvery and Analysis Data Requests Issues Identificatin & Reslutin Public Wrkshps Staff Assessments (SA) CEQA impact evaluatins Cmmittee Evidentiary Hearing and Decisin Evidentiary hearings based n SA and ther infrmatin Cmmittee prduces Presiding Member s Prpsed Decisin (PMPD) PMPD ges befre full Cmmissin fr decisin and if apprved, a certificatin Nte: Mst ARRA slar thermal prjects have been prpsed n BLM lands, requiring a federal Natinal Envirnmental Plicy Act (NEPA) envirnmental analysis als. Page 5

6 Ten Slar Thermal Prjects Seeking ARRA funding Currently in the CEC Siting Prcess Ivanpah Slar Electric Generating System (370 MW) APPROVED 9/22/10 Beacn Slar Energy Prject (250 MW) APPROVED 8/25/10 Imperial Valley Slar Prject (750 MW) PMPD Cnsideratin 9/29 Calic Slar Prject (850 MW) Abenga Mjave Slar (250 MW) APPROVED 9/8/10 Blythe Slar Pwer Prject (1,000 MW) APPROVED 9/15/10 Palen Slar Pwer Prject (484 MW) Genesis Slar Energy Prject (250 MW) PMPD Cnsideratin 9/29 Rice Slar Energy Prject (150 MW) Ridgecrest Slar Pwer Prject (250 MW) delayed Page 6

7 Slar Thermal Prjects Seeking ARRA funding Currently in the CEC Siting Prcess Page 7

8 Cmparative Ftprint f Prjects at CEC SOLAR NATURAL GAS Active Prjects* 9 12 Avg. MW Avg. Acres 3, The average slar prject site is ver 125 times larger than the average natural gas prject. * In additin t 21 natural gas and slar prjects, the Energy Cmmissin is reviewing the Hydrgen Energy Califrnia prject - a 390 MW petrleum cke/cal gasificatin prject prpsed n 473 acres in Kern Cunty t demnstrate carbn sequestratin technlgy. Page 8

9 Slar Thermal Prject Permitting Challenges Large prject size exacerbates impacts Many in areas with minimal previus disturbance cause ptential fr significant impacts n bilgical resurces Presence f sensitive cultural resurces in desert Cmplex water/surface drainage engineering issues Page 9

10 Slar Thermal Prject Permitting Challenges Cllabratin Need fr unprecedented crdinatin with US Bureau f Land Management (BLM) given large number f prjects prpsed n federal land Impacts t endangered species require clse crdinatin between CEC, CA Department f Fish & Game (DFG), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Page 10

11 Meeting the Challenge SBx8 34 Siting and human resurce issues Clse crdinatin between State and federal agencies High level crdinatin/ truble shting Renewable Energy Plicy Grup (agencies) Renewable Energy Actin Team (state/federal agency mgmt) Desert Renewable Energy Cnservatin Plan (DRECP) (agencies & stakehlders) Page 11

12 SB 8x 34 Prvisins Bill by Senatr Alex Padilla signed int law n March 22, 2010 Imprved Califrnia permitting prcess fr certain slar thermal prjects lcated in DRECP bundary seeking ARRA 2010 funding Established incentives and recruitment/retentin benefits fr CEC staff wrking n ARRA slar prject permitting Enables CEC decisin makers t cnfer with ther CA agency department heads abut ARRA prject issues Prvides an ptin fr dealing with bilgical resurces impacts - paying int an interim mitigatin fund administered by CA DFG in crdinatin with CEC Page 12

13 External Critical Path Items CEC Reslutin f Cultural Resurces Dispute with BLM Legal Vulnerability Bilgical Resurces Transmissin Page 13

14 Summary f Where We Are Nw CEC hearings are cmpleted r in prgress fr all but Palen and Rice prjects. BLM has released 5 NEPA prcess Final Envirnmental Impact Statements (FEIS) (Blythe, Calic, Genesis, Imperial, Ivanpah prjects) and will release mre in September. BLM is cmpleting Cultural Resurces Prgrammatic Agreements fr release in September. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is cmpleting Bilgical Opinins n ARRA prjects impacts t federally listed species in desert. Prject develpers and agencies cnsidering ptins fr phasing prject develpment and phasing impact mitigatin csts CEC has apprved 4 and released 2 PMPDs fr 2,870 MW Page 14

15 Crssing the Finish Line BLM issues Recrds f Decisins in a timely fashin that are cnsistent with CEC Prpsed Decisins CEC and BLM pst-decisin phase: Fr apprved prjects, cmpliance with Cnditins f Certificatin (CEC) and Right f Way Grant Cnditins (BLM) CPUC apprval f Final Pwer Purchase Agreements CPUC and SCE have a credible transmissin arrangement SCE and CAISO achieve all the necessary FERC apprvals DOE lan guarantees secured Prject Financing Clsed Prject wners meet substantial cnstructin requirements ARRA cash grants are paid Page 15

16 Additinal Infrmatin Prject Infrmatin Rger Jhnsn, Siting Office Manager (916) Page 16