The Bureau of Land Management has approved one of the nation's largest photovoltaic solar powerprojects in the Southern California desert — the first in a series of major renewable energy projects BLMplans to authorize this year.The Desert Quartzite Solar Project would cover about 3,000 acres of federal land in Riverside County,southwest of Blythe, Calif., and have the capacity to produce up to 450 megawatts of electricity — enoughto power about 117,000 homes and businesses, according to an advance notice in today's FederalRegister.A record of decision (ROD) approving the project, as well as an amendment to the California DesertConservation Area plan, will be published in tomorrow's Federal Register, ending a yearslong federalreview. The $1 billion project could be operational by 2022.
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