Borrego Sun - Since 1949

The proposed Palen Solar Project to be built on approximately 3,800 acres of public land located around 36 miles west of Blythe and 10 miles east of Desert Center no longer includes bird-incinerating towers. In spite of the objections of critics who said Palen’s earlier plan involving the towers could wipe out thousands of birds, the California Energy Commission still approved this controversial technology last year. Palen’s developer, the Spanish company Abengoa Solar, has now proposed to substitute the power tower technology for parabolic trough technology as part of their request for a construction deadline extension. Many environmental groups remain concerned by the project’s location. Palen would disrupt critical habitats for Mojave fringe-toed lizards and interrupt a connectivity corridor for the threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoise. The California Energy Commission still needs to approve Abengoa’s new plan before construction begins.