OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Solar Trust of America, an integrated solar energy solutions company and developer of the Blythe Solar Power Project, the largest solar power facility in the world, was recognized for its environmental stewardship in developing the Blythe facility at awards ceremonies held at the recently concluded Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Today annual conference in Las Vegas.
The prestigious award is bestowed on the U.S. solar project developer that designs and implements the most effective sustained program for conservation and preservation of the local environment including land, water and wildlife.
“We are extremely proud to be recognized by CSP Today for our efforts at Blythe. From the outset of the project planning process, we have worked diligently with the local Blythe community, regulatory agencies and environmental groups to develop and build the facility in the most environmentally sensitive manner possible,” said Uwe T. Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Solar Trust of America. “This multi-year process has included a number of land, water and wildlife mitigation efforts that will conserve and protect these precious resources in the Mojave Desert. ”
As part of the environmental due diligence for the Blythe project, Solar Trust and its U.S. development subsidiary, STA Development, LLC, worked with state and federal authorities to mitigate impacts on certain wildlife species on the project site by purchasing additional habitat for affected species. In addition, to preserve water resources the company is incorporating “dry-cooling” technology for the facility that uses 90 percent less water than conventional water-cooled designs.
On June 17th, Solar Trust held groundbreaking ceremonies at the Blythe site that included U.S. Department of Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, California Governor Jerry Brown and a number of local, state and federal agency representatives.
Upon completion, the multi-billion dollar Blythe Solar Power Project will deliver 1,000 megawatts of nominal generating capacity, or enough electricity to power 300,000 home annually, making it the first solar facility to compare in scale to the largest coal and nuclear power plants. The project will create more than 1,000 local jobs during the construction period and approximately 200 maintenance and operations jobs once the facility is operational. The project will also generate hundreds of millions of dollars throughout the U.S. supply chain during the construction phase.
About Solar Trust of America
Solar Trust of America is an integrated solar industrial solutions company with several utility-scale solar energy projects under development throughout the American Southwest. In April 2011, the Department of Energy announced conditional commitment for a $2.1 billion loan guarantee for the construction of the first phase of the 1,000 MW Blythe Solar Power Project, the largest solar project in the world. The company has 1,000 MW of additional solar power projects in advanced stages of development in California and Nevada. As a fully integrated company, Solar Trust of America works across the entire solar value chain, including project design, financing, procurement, construction, operation, and management. Solar Trust of America and its subsidiaries currently employ over 75 professionals. For more information visit www.SolarTrustofAmerica.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding Solar Trust of America, LLC, its shareholders and subsidiaries (including but not limited to Solar Millennium, LLC) (collectively referred to as the “Company”), related to plans, estimates, assumptions, expectations or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the design, construction, capacity or operation of the planned Blythe Solar Power Project, other planned solar power plants, expected actions of the U.S. Department of Energy or other regulatory authorities, as well as statements about the Company’s financing, construction, strategies, objectives, goals, targets, outlook, technologies, and business and financial prospects. These statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, those set forth in this press release. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any subsequent date, and the Company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information set forth in this press release pertaining to third parties has not been independently verified by the Company and is based solely on publicly available information or on information provided to the Company by such third parties for inclusion in this press release.