The Westlands Water District is partnering with Westside Holdings to prepare a detailed environmental impact report and master plan for a proposed 2,400 MW solar power project.
The environmental impact report would allow private solar companies to build individual power generation projects on farmlands earmarked for retirement because of poor drainage and high levels of salt in the groundwater and soil.
Bob Dowds, the CEO of Westside Holdings, said that plans to develop solar projects on drainage-impaired farmland have been under consideration for several years now. The California Energy Commission has already identified the site as a Commercial Renewable Energy Zone.
A notice filed by Westlands indicates that the development is planned in 200MW increments over 12 years. If fully developed, this 24,000-acre project would be the largest solar photovoltaic installation in the U.S.
Dowds, however, added that the development of the project would only begin when there is sufficient demand for the project to make economic sense.