Home|Subscriber Services|Register|Alerts|Archives|About Us|Advertising|Your Feedback Monday, July 06, 2009 - 6:27:59 pm
Imperial Valley Press Online Home Page  106°F  
sunny - Winds: SE at 18 mph, Humidity: 22% 
Print Email Share: Facebook  Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Furl NewsVine
See/Buy Photos See/Buy Photos by Imperial Valley Press Photographers.    Font -   Font +

Renewable energy firms eye county


Saturday, April 14, 2007 10:48 PM PDT

At least four solar energy companies, two of which are based in California, are considering building power plants in Imperial County, area economic development experts said.

One of those companies wants to build by September 2008 both a power plant and a manufacturing facility to produce solar panels, which could add about 300 new jobs to the Valley’s economy, said Eusebio Arballo, project consultant for the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp.

Citing confidentiality agreements with those companies, IVEDC Executive Director Tim Kelley said he could not name those companies or say whether they are privately or publicly held. Two of the companies are from out of the state.

News of the solar companies expressing interest here means Imperial County could be another step closer to becoming the Mecca for renewable energy, Kelley said.

“That’s four more than we had last year in that cluster … We’re going to be the renewable capitol of the U.S.,” he said.

His comments could prove to be prophetic.

Environmental regulators are currently reviewing plans to build a controversial $95 million sludge burning electric plant near Niland; an ethanol plant is slated to be built within the next year near Calipatria; three area growers want to be the first in the nation to make ethanol from sugar crops by re-engineering the sugar refinery south of Brawley, and the Bureau of Land Management is currently considering opening 14,731 acres of public land in the western portion of the county for geothermal exploration and possibly more electric power plants.

In November 2005, Stirling Energy announced it plans to build a 300-megawatt solar plant near Calexico.

Kelley said IVEDC is actively pursuing renewable energy companies with the hope of creating an industry cluster here.

Arballo said the solar company considering building a plant and a factory may publicly announce its plans by September.

>> Staff Writer Jonathan Athens can be reached at: 344-1221 or jathens@ivpressonline.com


Print Email Share: Facebook  Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Furl NewsVine
See/Buy Photos See/Buy Photos by Imperial Valley Press Photographers.    Font -   Font +





Comments:

The opinions above are from readers of ivpressonline.com and in no way represent the views of the Imperial Valley Press staff or Schurz Communications Inc.

ivpressonline.com encourages readers to offer their opinions on our local stories. We ask readers keep their comments on topic and avoid derogatory comments about fellow readers. Our goal is to promote a civil discussion about the news.

We will never edit or alter comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain:

  • Potentially libelous statements.
  • Obscene, explicit or racist language.
  • Personal attacks, insults or threats
  • Commercial products or promotions

    To report abuse, e-mail us at webmaster@ivpressonline.com
  • Subscribe
    Subscribe to the Imperial Valley Press
    Get the Imperial Valley Press every morning at your home or office. Start a subscription for your family, for yourself or give it to someone special. Click here.
    Text Message Alerts
    Subscribe to Imperial Valley Press Text Message Alerts Receive text message alerts on breaking news, latest updates, sports scores, offers and much more on your cellphone or PDA. Sign up here.
    Register
    Register to the Imperial Valley Press Register free and start receiving email alerts on breaking news, a sneak preview of upcoming stories, reminders and much more. Click here to begin.
    About Us
    About the Imperial Valley Press Want to know more about the Imperial Valley Press? Want to contact us? Get general and contact information. Click here.

    Quick Search

    Air Conditioning
    Autos and Vehicles
    Construction and Materials
    Employment Services
    Financial Services
    Food and Dining
    Health and Medical
    Hotels
    Real Estate



    Adelante Valle Online Valley Woman Magazine Online ivblogz.com - Stay Connected ivfindit.com - Find It Here Imperial Valley Home Finder Online ivworkplace.com - Jobs in the Imperial Valley
    Related:  adelantevalle.com   |   valleywomenonline.com   |   ivblogz.com   |   ivfindit.com   |   ivhomefinder.com   |   ivworkplace.com
    Copyright © 2009 Imperial Valley Press - ivpressonline.com. All rights reserved. RSS Feeds