Solar Trust has received approval from the California Energy Commission for its 1000 MW Blythe solar power plant project, in Riverside County. Once completed, Blythe will be the largest CSP project in the world. It will consist of four power plants, combined into one, each with 250 MW of installed capacity, and using parabolic trough technology. Construction on the first power plants in the project will begin by the end of 2010.

Solar Trust will be developing the project through its subsidiary Solar Millenium. The company has earlier secured power purchase agreements for two of the four projects. The approval for the project was expected after the California Public Utilities Commission gave its recommendation for Blythe this summer.

The "red tape" is not complete yet, though, as the project still needs to secure a Record of Decision, approving the project's Right of Way Grant from the Federal Bureau of Land Management, this autumn. Additionally, the company is working on completion of financing from the US DoE which will produce funding for the first 500 MW of capacity.

[source: Solar Trust]