BrightSource reaches land agreement

BrightSource Energy Inc., developer of large-scale solar thermal energy plants, recently announced that it has reached agreement on the principal terms of a private land contract with Nevada's newest master-planned community developer, Coyote Springs Land Co. The agreement marks a critical step in the development of a solar thermal energy project that could provide as much as 600 megawatts of clean reliable solar thermal energy to both the Nevada and California markets.

"With abundant sun and access to key markets in Nevada and California, the Coyote Springs site is an ideal location to develop clean, reliable and low-cost solar thermal energy," said Tom Doyle, executive vice president of project development for BrightSource Energy. "We're excited to partner with Coyote Springs to place Nevada on the cutting edge of renewable energy, and to demonstrate that solar projects not only address climate change, but also create jobs and strengthen our economy."

"We are extremely proud to collaborate with BrightSource on a project that will demonstrate our and Nevada's commitment to renewable energy," said Harvey Whittemore, founder of Coyote Springs and chairman of Coyote Springs Land Co. "This facility has the potential to not only power Coyote Springs in an environmentally responsible manner, but could also supply power to various areas throughout the western United States.

"We have received major environmental recognition in the past for the work that we do and this project is consistent with our long-standing commitment to protect the environment."

The parties have identified a 6-square-mile area within the larger Coyote Springs development in Lincoln County where BrightSource plans to construct a large-scale solar thermal energy project. The site is located on private property near transmission lines and, as part of the broader development site, has already received environmental permits from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and various other federal, state and county agencies. The power generated from the Coyote Springs site could meet demand generated in the Coyote Springs development, Southern Nevada and California.

Located northeast of Las Vegas, the Coyote Springs development will also include several residential and commercial components.

Other solar energy plants in Southern Nevada are located at Nellis Air Force Base and Boulder City's Eldorado Valley.

Sempra Generation recently announced it will quintuple the size of its existing El Dorado plant in Boulder City. The expanded project will be renamed Copper Mountain Solar and will be the largest photovoltaic power plant in the U.S. when it is completed in 2010.