Department of Energy's Western Area Power Administration prepared a draft Environmental Assessment for the Vidal Solar Interconnection Project (DOE/EA-2170).
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
October 7, 2024
minute read time
Vidal Solar Interconnection Project; San Bernadino County, California
Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) issued a draft environmental assessment (DOE/EA-2170) for the Vidal Solar Interconnection Project. The draft EA assesses the potential environmental impacts of responding to a large generator interconnection request from CDH Vidal, LLC, the proponent for the Vidal Energy Project, an approximately 160-megawatt (MW) nameplate capacity photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) facility proposed near the town of Vidal, in San Bernardino County, California (CA) on 1,090 acres of privately-owned lands. The Vidal Energy Project would include solar panels, access roads, and an underground electrical collection system, while the BESS would provide energy to the system at times when the solar generation system is offline. The solar project is proposed to be connected to WAPA’s electrical transmission system via a new 161-kilovolt (kV) substation, looping into WAPA’s existing Headgate Rock-Blythe (HDR-BLY) 161-kV transmission line. Although WAPA’s new switchyard would be operated at 161-kV, it is anticipated to be built to 230-kV standards.
For more information, see Vidal Solar Interconnection Project.