Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The U.S. Department of Energy has pledged a $2.1 billion loan guarantee to support a California solar thermal power plant that is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and avoid hundreds of thousands of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that the Blythe Solar Power Project in Riverside County will generate 484 megawatts of power and will include an eight-mile transmission line. The facility is sponsored by Solar Trust of America.

The project will sell all of its electricity to Southern California Edison and deliver power to California's Independent System Operator grid.

The Department of Energy has made more than $21 billion in loan guarantees for 22 clean energy projects, including geothermal, wind and biofuels, in 14 states.