Renewable energy firms eye county By JONATHAN ATHENS, Staff Writer
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.
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