Draft Environmental Impact Statement
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DOE/EIS–0458D DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT VOLUME I DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY LOAN GUARANTEE TO ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND FOR CONSTRUCTION AND STARTUP OF THE TOPAZ SOLAR FARM SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA US Department of Energy, Lead Agency Loan Guarantee Program Office Washington, DC 20585 In Cooperation with US Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District March 2011 COVER SHEET Lead Federal Agency: US Department of Energy Cooperating Agency: US Army Corps of Engineers Title: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the US Department of Energy Loan Guarantee to Royal Bank of Scotland for Construction and Startup of the Topaz Solar Farm, San Luis Obispo County, California Contact: For additional copies or more information on this Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), please contact: Ms. Angela Colamaria US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LP-10) 1000 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20585 Phone: 202-287-5387 Electronic mail: [email protected] Abstract: The US Department of Energy is proposing to issue a loan guarantee to Royal Bank of Scotland to provide funding to Topaz Solar Farms, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) to construct and start up the Topaz Solar Farm, a nominal 550-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generating facility. The facility would be located in unincorporated eastern San Luis Obispo County, California, approximately one mile north of the community of California Valley and six miles northwest of the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The proposed facility would consist of a solar field of ground-mounted PV modules, an electrical collection system that converts generated power from direct current to alternating current and delivers it to a Project substation for collection and conversion from 34.5 to 230 kV for delivery via a new on-site Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) switching station, and the PG&E switching station that interconnects the Project to PG&E’s existing Morro Bay to Midway 230-kV transmission line. The facility would generate over one million megawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to power 160,000 California homes annually. Generated electricity would be sold to PG&E under a long-term power purchase agreement. Comments: Comments on this Draft EIS may be sent to Ms. Colamaria at the address above or may be emailed to [email protected]. All electronic and written comments should reference DOE/EIS–0458D. Comments must be postmarked no later than 45 days from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s notice of availability of this Draft EIS in the Federal Register. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... S-1 1. PURPOSE AND NEED ........................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Project Location and Overview ................................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 Purpose of and Need for Action ................................................................................................. 1-4 1.3.1 Project Purpose and Need ............................................................................................. 1-4 1.3.2 DOE Purpose and Need ................................................................................................. 1-5 1.3.3 USACE Purpose and Need ............................................................................................. 1-5 1.4 Background........................................................................................................................................ 1-7 1.4.1 DOE Loan Guarantee Program Overview ................................................................. 1-7 1.4.2 County Permitting Overview ......................................................................................... 1-8 1.4.3 Interconnection and Power Purchase Agreements .................................................. 1-9 1.5 Scope of this Environmental Impact Statement ........................................................................ 1-9 1.6 Public Participation ........................................................................................................................ 1-10 1.6.1 Scoping .............................................................................................................................. 1-10 1.7 Document Organization .............................................................................................................. 1-13 2. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES........................................................................ 2-1 2.1 DOE’s Proposed Action and Alternatives ................................................................................. 2-1 2.1.1 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 DOE Selection of Alternatives ...................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.3 Project-Specific Alternatives .......................................................................................... 2-3 2.1.4 No Action Alternative ................................................................................................... 2-12 2.2 USACE’s Proposed Action and Alternatives Considered ....................................................2-13 2.2.1 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................. 2-13 2.2.2 No Action Alternative ................................................................................................... 2-13 2.3 Project Description ....................................................................................................................... 2-14 2.3.1 PV Solar Energy Technology ........................................................................................2-14 2.3.2 Proposed Project Features ...........................................................................................2-14 2.3.3 PG&E Transmission System .........................................................................................2-27 2.3.4 Proposed Project Construction ..................................................................................2-32 2.3.5 Project Operation and Maintenance ..........................................................................2-41 2.3.6 Solar Project Decommissioning ..................................................................................2-44 2.3.7 Potential Permits and Authorizations ........................................................................2-44 2.3.8 Summary of Proposed Environmental Protection Measures ...............................2-47 2.4 Connected Action ......................................................................................................................... 2-55 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .......................................... 3-1 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.2 Environmental Impacts .................................................................................................... 3-2 3.2 Land Use ............................................................................................................................................ 3-4 3.2.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 3-4 3.2.2 Environmental Impacts ..................................................................................................3-11 3.3 Visual Resources ............................................................................................................................ 3-20 3.3.1 Affected Environment .................................................................................................... 3-21 March 2011 Draft Environmental Impact Statement i DOE Loan Guarantee for the Topaz Solar Farm Table of Contents 3.3.2 Environmental Impacts ..................................................................................................3-26 3.4 Air Quality and Climate Change ................................................................................................ 3-44 3.4.1 Affected Environment .................................................................................................... 3-44 3.4.2 Environmental Impacts ..................................................................................................3-48 3.5 Noise ................................................................................................................................................ 3-56 3.5.1 Affected Environment .................................................................................................... 3-56 3.5.2 Environmental Impacts ..................................................................................................3-63 3.6 Geology and Soils .........................................................................................................................