Alta Infill II Wind Energy Project

Aspen assisted the Kern County Planning and Community Development Department with the California Environmental Quality Act process for the Alta Infill II Project. Aspen prepared an a Supplemental environmental impact report (EIR) for a fast-tracked expansion of the Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project, the largest operational wind farm in the United States.

The project is an expansion of a wind energy generation facility to generate up to 530 megawatts of additional electricity from wind turbine generators on an approximately 5,185-acre site in unincorporated Kern County, California. The project required multiple zone changes and Conditional Use Permits. Wind energy from the project is transferred to Southern California Edison’s 220-kilovolt transmission system and sold to a power purchaser in furtherance of the goals of the California Renewables Portfolio Standard.

The EIR evaluated potential impacts of implementing a change in zone classification to incorporate the Wind Energy Combining District to the base district for approximately 2,909 acres of the project site. Aspen also assisted in the review of environmental technical reports prepared by the applicant, preparation of the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, and preparation of the mitigation monitoring and reporting program.