Blythe Mesa Solar Project fully operational, Bureau of Land Management says

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced recently the Blythe Mesa Solar Project is fully operational and is anticipated to produce enough electricity to power 94,000 homes.

Also known as Athos III, the solar energy project will provide 224 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, with a 112-megawatt battery storage system and a 230-kilovolt generation interconnection (gen-tie) on roughly 3,600 acres of land crossing BLM-managed public lands in Riverside County, Cal.

“The completion of the Blythe Mesa (Athos III) solar energy project helps meet the Department of the Interior’s commitment to accelerate responsible development of renewable energy on public lands and the BLM’s mission to sustainably manage public lands,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “This project is another example of how the Biden Administration is meeting the climate crisis with urgency and determination, ensuring a cleaner, safer, and healthier planet.”

BLM approved the Blythe Mesa Solar Project’s 5.2-mile gen-tie transmission line and access road in 2015. In 2020, Intersect Power took ownership of the Blythe Mesa project from RG Renewables and began construction in 2021. The gen-tie line connects the solar facility to Southern California Edison Colorado River Substation in eastern Riverside County.

BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public lands, primarily in western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estates nationwide.