Alta East Wind Energy Project
Project Specifications
Client: Kern County Planning Department
Location: Kern County
Services: Environmental Review & Permitting, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources
Aspen prepared an EIS/EIR for the Alta East Wind Project on behalf of Kern County and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Alta East Wind Project will generate up to 318 megawatts (MW) of electricity through wind power and includes 120 wind turbine generators, a substation, transmission interconnection to Southern California Edison’s Windhub Substation, access roads, and ancillary facilities.
The project site encompasses 2,592 acres located approximately three miles northwest of the unincorporated town of Mojave in southeastern Kern County. A portion of the site is located on private land under the jurisdiction of Kern County, but the majority of the site is located on BLM-administered land. The project included an Application for a Right-of-Way (ROW) Type 3 Grant with the BLM and a resource management land use Plan Amendment (PA) to the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. Approval of the POW grant and PA by the BLM authorized the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of the portion of the project located on BLM administered lands.
The EIS/EIR evaluates six alternatives to the proposed project, including one revised site layout alternative, two reduced project alternatives, and three ROW Grant and County approval alternatives. Information contained in the EIS/EIR was considered by the BLM in its deliberations regarding approval of the ROW grant, as well as a Land Use Plan Amendment and a Specific Plan Amendment, and by the County in its authorization of a change in zone classification to include the Wind Energy Combing District for private lands and a conditional use permit for the use of a temporary concrete batch plant during construction. Aspen also reviewed applicant technical studies, conducted field work for biological and cultural resources, and coordinated activities with BLM and Kern County.