BLM seeks comments on proposal for solar energy development in Utah

The BLM’s Cedar City Field Office released a draft environmental assessment for proposed parcels within the Milford Flats South Solar Energy Zone. This draft environmental assessment analyzes the environmental consequences of competitively leasing four parcels of public lands, comprising approximately 5,564 acres, for solar energy development and initiates a 30-day public comment period.

If the Milford Flats Solar Energy Zone in Beaver County is fully developed, it is anticipated that construction will provide at least 216 jobs and $11.2 million in income to those employed, with operations providing at least 15 jobs and $400,000 in income. St George News

St. George's latest upgrade: $60 million expansion of wastewater treatment plant

Construction is set to start this summer on a major expansion of the St George water treatment plant, a process expected to take several years and cost some $60 million. The St. George City Council accepted a $25.3 million bid in April to starting building headworks and a UV disinfection system, the first phase in a series of three major projects that water managers say could essentially double the plant’s capacity. The first phase of construction is expected to take about 20 months; a second phase could cost $39 million and take up to two years to build. At that point, the project could be on hold for several years while managers wait for population growth to necessitate the third and final phase. The Spectrum

New arsenic treatment plant near Gunlock would add water sources for St. George

St. George Water Services plans to build an arsenic treatment plant on Gunlock Road just south of Gunlock reservoir. The project is slated to begin construction next year, and the estimated $10 million for the building will come out of the water services budget. St. George News

Feds ask state to prove it can pay for proposed Lake Powell Pipeline

State officials and other proponents of the Lake Powell pipeline may have just two months to convince federal regulators that their project is backed by a robust plan to pay off more than $1 billion in costs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has indicated it cannot review the state’s yet-to-be-completed application for permission to build the pipeline in southern Utah because it lacks an adequate financial analysis.

In an Aug. 11 letter to the state’s Board of Water Resources, federal regulators have given Utah 60 days to submit the financial feasibility study, including estimated costs to new and existing water users in Washington and Kane counties. FERC has also asked for additional water use data and for more details about cultural resources along the proposed route of the pipeline, which would carry Colorado River water from Glen Canyon Dam 140 miles to St. George. State officials had indicated the requested information would be part of Utah’s final application. But the study still has not been submitted.

Officials at the Utah Division of Water Resources said the state does intend to submit at least some additional financial information to FERC in the next 60 days. However, the state does not have all the specifics the feds have requested, such as how much the pipeline will cost Washington and Kane County residents. The agency is working on those figures, Williams said, but is not likely to have estimates ready in two months. Salt Lake Tribune

Interior Department approves major transmission lines through Utah

The U.S. Interior Department has announced their approval of the TransWest Express transmission line. The TransWest Express Project is a high-voltage, direct current electric transmission system that will deliver wind energy from Wyoming along a 730-mile route with potential grid interconnections in California, Nevada and Arizona. About 60 percent of its route — which crosses Utah — impacts Bureau of Land Management land and follows previously established utility corridors where possible. The project, which will take three years to build, adds 3,000 megawatts of "backbone" transmission capacity between the Desert Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions, or enough energy to power 1.8 million homes. Deseret News

Iron County solar plants offer tax benefits, not long-term jobs

The latest round of anticipated solar farm layoffs occurred last week when Mortenson Construction left Cedar City after completing a solar plant in Iron County. Iron County officials estimated more than 100 layoffs from Mortenson’s but said the county never envisioned the 17 planned solar projects to be an economic stimulant in the form of long-term jobs.

Since the December opening of Utah's first utility-scale size solar project in Parowan, six others have been completed and are producing power, although they are not as large. There are also three more in the Iron Spring/Granite Mountain areas west of Cedar City that are under construction, and an 80-megawatt plant west of Newcastle that should be done soon.

 Three more solar plants are in the planning stages near Quichapa Lake west of Cedar City that were originally planned by SunEdison but have since been pursued by others. The Spectrum

Renewable energy project comes to Southwest Utah

The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems’ Veyo Heat Recovery Project has been officially commissioned marking the start to a 7.8 megawatt electricity-generating undertaking. Considered a ‘green project,’ it was issued the first tax-exempt green bond for a carbon-free power generating plant.

The Recovered Energy Generation plant, located adjacent to the Veyo natural gas compressor station owned by Kern River Gas Transmission Company, began commercial operations on May 26. This is the second REG unit that has been installed along the Kern River natural gas pipeline.

Turbines take the heat that is currently being wasted into the atmosphere and use it to generate electricity that will be used in the seven municipalities that funded the $22.3 million project. The UAMP-member regions that will be included in receiving electricity from the project include Santa Clara, Washington City, Kaysville, Lehi, Logan, Spring City and the Truckee Donner Public Utility District. The Spectrum

New Iron County solar plant among 12 largest in North America

The state's first utility scale solar plant was officially commissioned in Iron County. The Utah Red Hills Renewable Park operated by Scatec Solar will feed enough power for 18,500 homes into the grid under a 20-year contract with Rocky Mountain Power.

At a cost of $188 million, the 104-megawatt plant in Parowan is part of a renewable energy portfolio that will help get the state to an energy mix in which 25 percent of the power generated in Utah will be from renewables by 2025. The official "commissioning" of the plant — which included tours and remarks by company officials — will be followed by an official startup of the 630-acre photovoltaic solar facility. Once it fires up, it will be among the 12 largest plants of its kind in North America and the largest operated by Scatec Solar. KSL News

SunEdison, Dominion Partner on 265 Megawatt, Three Cedars Solar

SunEdison, Inc. and Dominion announced a joint venture for the Three Cedars solar project, a 265 megawatt (MW) DC, or 210 MW AC, solar project in Iron County, developed by SunEdison. The announcement marks the expansion of a joint venture recently announced regarding Dominion's investment in the 420 MW DC Four Brothers solar project in Utah.

Similar to Four Brothers, the Three Cedars project is contracted under long-term power purchase agreements for 20 years with PacifiCorp (A-/A3), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. The project is now under construction and fully financed with an expected commercial operation date of mid-2016.

Under the terms of the expanded JV, Dominion will invest approximately $320 million to acquire 50 percent of the cash equity and 99 percent of the tax equity in Three Cedars, including funding of construction. SunEdison expects to fully finance the $80 million balance of the capital for Three Cedars through a loan from Deutsche Bank through construction and long-term ownership. Dominion's aggregate investment in the joint venture is approximately $830 million to acquire 50 percent of the cash equity and 99 percent of the tax equity in Four Brothers and Three Cedars, including funding of construction. Utah Business Magazine

Toquerville OKs wind farm annexation

Toquerville City Council members have approved a proposed annexation of land north of Toquerville’s Anderson Junction that will open the way for a set of wind turbines that will supplement the city’s energy grid. The council’s unanimous vote pulls about 3,157.96 acres into the city limits, subject to the town surveyor’s final review of the Wind Song Annexation plat to ensure the boundaries.

The new wind turbine area is located on the west side of Interstate 15 near Pinto, capitalizing on weather patterns in the Black Ridge corridor, said Hurricane resident Jerry Eves, the developer with Southwest Wind Energy, LLC. The Spectrum

Toquerville annexation could open way for wind farm

Toquerville may be paving the way for a wind energy farm in Washington County. The city received a petition to annex more than 3,100 acres between the city’s northern boundaries and the Pinto exit on Interstate 15 earlier this month, and a wind power-generating company is reportedly interested in building turbines along the highway corridor if the land is annexed. Southwest Wind Energy, LLC, is seeking to establish a wind farm on the west side of Interstate 15 north of Toquerville’s exit 27 interchange, which is in the Black Ridge corridor. The Spectrum

Solar energy poised to blossom in Utah desert

First Wind, which operates a 165-turbine wind farm near Milford, is now moving into the solar business. On Wednesday the company announced it has reached critical agreements with Rocky Mountain Power to purchase 20 megawatts of power from seven projects First Wind will build in Iron and Beaver counties. They will deploy 73,000 300-watt panels expected to go online in summer 2015, producing enough power for 4,000 Utah homes.

Juwi Solar, a Boulder, Colo.-based subsidiary of the German firm Juwi AG, is developing a 50-megawatt solar farm on 350 acres of private ranchlands outside Holden. The company has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Rocky Mountain Power.

SunEdison has the most ambitious plans for Utah, with several projects in the works in southwestern Utah. The company has secured agreements to sell 33 megawatts and is negotiating contracts for another 55. It also is eyeing four large-scale projects across sites that could generate up to 260 megawatts — about two-thirds the capacity of Salt Lake City’s Gadsby generating station. SunEdison plans on investing $500 million in Utah by 2016, generating 700 construction jobs and establishing a centralized service center in Iron County that would have 10 to 15 permanent positions. Salt Lake Tribune

Solar projects coming to Iron County

Four new solar projects slated to begin this year in Iron County are expected to bring in approximately $4 million in additional revenue to various taxing entities throughout the county. The additional revenue that would come in over the 20-year span of the project would benefit Iron County, the Iron County School District and the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District.

First Wind and Sun Edison are the companies gearing up to bring the solar projects into the community. First Wind plans to have three project areas with three different sites, while Sun Edison has one project planned with six sites. The ventures will bring in an additional 30 to 60 construction jobs for approximately six months, and they are expected to create about 13 full-time positions once completed. The Spectrum

Utah's Thirst for Water Comes with $13.7 Billion Price Tag

The ability to turn on the tap, flush the toilet and water the garden over the next 20 years will be a multibillion-dollar challenge in Utah because of new water and sewer systems that state officials say must be put in place.

A statewide list of water projects, including their costs, is being shopped to Utah lawmakers, along with the warning that it is better to plan now and pay now, rather than wait until dams fail or taps run dry.

The numbers are staggering, adding up to $13.7 billion. And that doesn't include billions identified for controversial projects such as the Lake Powell Pipeline or the Bear River Development project.

The Utah divisions of water quality and water resources and other public agencies compiled the list of water infrastructure needs in Utah that provides just one glimpse of a national problem decades in the making.

A roundtable highlighting the water infrastructure challenges across the country estimated the cost to maintain and replace drinking water systems alone at $1 trillion. Hosted by the Conservation Leadership Partnership, the discussion earlier this month took on new urgency as most of the nation continues to recover from the worst drought in 50 years.

The partnership is an initiative seeking to broker new alternatives to persistent conservation problems, emphasizing the need for public-private partnerships and entrepreneurship and "ground-up" solutions. Deseret News

Solar farm fails to attract buyers in St. George

Myron Porter is proud to show off his three-bedroom home. He does what he can to save electricity. And he happily bought into his city's ambitious solar energy farm, built three years ago at a cost of $1 million. 

But Porter's decision to spend a sizable amount of money to support the city's solar energy project makes him a striking exception in St. George. Most residents have chosen not to participate in the solar farm, providing a snapshot into the collision between energy and pollution solutions, and a user's willingness to pay more for cleaner energy.

The reticence of St. George residents stems from the probability that buyers won't ever recover their initial investment through lower utility bills — unless other sources of electricity get far more expensive.

The unsold solar panels still generate electricity for the region's utility grid, so the city doesn't consider it a waste of money.

Porter believes he's doing his part to get a clean energy source off the ground, even if it's not cost-effective today. "With any new industry, it's never practical, because they have to buck the established systems," he said.

The price for solar photovoltaic — installed solar PV, — has decreased in the past year about 50 percent, according to Baldwin. "That's a precipitous decline that obviously translates to better economics for everybody. That trend we expect to continue."

 "As more people go solar, the price per installed kilowatt will continue to decrease and be more cost effective."

Sara Baldwin, senior policy and regulatory associate at Utah Clean Energy, said there will be a point the the future when solar energy is competitive with utility grid prices.  That price point is what ultimately may attract users to cleaner energy. Deseret News

Kanab Appeals Officer upholds permit to Viresco Energy

The Kanab Appeals Officer has denied an appeal by the Taxpayers Association of Kane County (TPA) challenging the Kanab City Planning Commission’s issuance of a conditional use permit to Viresco Energy. The permit allows Viresco to exceed the height limitations in the M-2 zone for two smokestacks, if the applicant meets seven conditions. The conditions cover areas such as emissions, appearance, safety, and removal of the smokestacks if operations cease. Southern Utah News