| Rio Mesa Solar Electric Generating Facility | |
| Coordinates: | 33.4583°N -114.775°W |
| Country: | United States |
| Location: | near Blythe, Riverside Co. |
| Status: | p |
| Construction Began: | planned for 2013; cancelled |
| Commissioned: | planned for 2016; cancelled |
| Cost: | $2 billion |
| Solar Type: | CSP |
| Solar Csp Technology: | Solar power tower |
| Ps Site Area: | 4070acres |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 500 MW |
The Rio Mesa Solar Electric Generating Facility was a proposed solar thermal power project in Riverside County, California. The developers for the project were subsidiaries of BrightSource Energy, Inc.[1] The plant was expected to cost about $2 billion.[2]
The plant was to comprise two solar power towers, each with a generating capacity of . About 170,000 heliostats would have reflected sunlight to the receivers mounted on top of the 750feet towers.[2] The project was scaled down from to 500 MW in May 2012, for which it has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Southern California Edison (SCE).[3]
In December 2011, the California Energy Commission (CEC) accepted the application for certification for the Rio Mesa SEGF. In October 2012, Rio Mesa received preliminary approval from the CEC; final approval was needed by June 2013 to fulfill its PPA.[4] However, the discovery of a large deposit of Pleistocene fossils underlying part of the project's area delayed approval or construction.[5] In January 2013, BrightSource suspended the Rio Mesa project;[6] the project was formally cancelled in July 2013.[7]