- Project Owner
- Solar Partners Brightsource
- Docket Number
- 07-AFC-05
- Capacity
- 386 MW
- Location
- San Bernardino County
- Technology
- Solar Thermal
- Project Status
- Operational (Solar Thermal)
- Project Type
- Application for Certification
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert. It is located at the base of Clark Mountain in San Bernardino County, California, across the state line from Primm, Nevada.
ISEGS is a 386 megawatt (MW) project consisting of three individually certified solar concentrating thermal power plants, based on distributed power tower and heliostat mirror technology, in which heliostat (mirror) fields focus solar energy on power tower receivers near the center of each heliostat array. ISEGS Power Plant 1 is a nominal 120 MW plant located on approximately 914 acres and consists of 53,500 heliostats; Power Plant 2 is a nominal 133 MW plant located on approximately 1,097 acres and consists of 60,000 heliostats; and Power Plant 3 is a nominal 133 MW plant located on approximately 1,227 acres and contains 60,000 heliostats. Each site has a single receiver and heliostat array.
In each solar plant, one Rankine-cycle reheat steam turbine receives live steam from the solar collector located in the power block at the top of a tower. Each plant also includes two natural gas-fired steam boilers: an auxiliary boiler and a nighttime preservation boiler. The auxiliary boiler is used for thermal input to the steam turbine during the morning start-up cycle to assist the plant in coming up to operating temperature. The auxiliary boiler is also operated during transient cloudy conditions, in order to maintain the steam turbine.
Each solar plant uses dry cooling to conserve water and limited to a combined 100 acre-feet per year of water for plant operations.
Order Approving a Petition to Modify Condition of Certification BIO-20, TN 69694, 02/27/2013, Order No. 13-0213-07, Commission approval to amend Condition of Certification BIO-20 which requires measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate for impacts to ephemeral drainages.
Order Approving a Petition to Modify Air Quality Conditions of Certification, TN 69908, 03/13/2013, Order No. 12-0213-08, Commission approval to modify Air Quality Conditions of Certification that would allow equipment changes to make the project operations more effective and efficient.
Order Approving Increase in Maximum Allowable Annual Fuel Usage Limit for Boilers, TN 203064, 09/15/2014, Order No. 14-0821-10, Commission approval to increase the maximum allowable annual fuel usage limit for boilers from 328 to 525 million standard cubic feet of natural gas to allow for additional fuel use during some days to compensate for intermittent cloud cover.
Order Approving a Petition to Amend to Update Equipment Descriptions, TN 206686, 11/19/2015, Order No. 15-1112-02, Commission approval to revise the description of engines used for emergency generators and fire pumps to match the installed engines.
Attention: Non-hypertext items above will need to be requested from the Compliance Project Manager, along with the document TN number, if provided above.
Power Plant Certification and Exemption Processes
The CEC has the exclusive authority to certify all thermal power plants 50 megawatts (MW) and larger and related facilities proposed for construction in California. The Application for Certification (AFC) process is a certified regulatory program under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a certified regulatory program, the CEC does not prepare environmental impact reports (EIRs) in an AFC proceeding, but instead prepares environmental assessment documents that are functionally equivalent to EIRs. A certificate issued by the CEC is in lieu of any permit, certificate, or similar document otherwise required by any state, local or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law, and supersedes any applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation of any state, local, or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law.
Original Proceeding
e-Commenting has been closed. Please submit your comments in compliance proceeding above.
Contacts
Project Manager
Joseph Douglas
CME@energy.ca.gov
(Please enter project name in the email subject line)
916-956-9527
Public Participation Questions
Public Advisor
publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov
916-957-7910
Media Inquiries
Media & Public Communications Office
mediaoffice@energy.ca.gov
916-654-4989