Solar plant could create jobs, revenue for county

  DATELAND - One California based company thinks there could be more than dates to harvest in Dateland.

 NextLight Renewable Power LLC wants to harvest sunlight on a 2,300-acre solar energy plant 70 miles east of Yuma, near Dateland and Hyder on the current White Wing Ranch.

 If permits are approved, construction would begin on the Agua Caliente Solar Project in about a year and a half. The construction phase could produce around 1,000 jobs for the area, and a full-time plant would employ about 50 people, representatives with NextLight said.

 Thursday night, more than 80 people attended a public meeting at Dateland Elementary to learn more about the project.

 Charlotte Tryon, a date farmer from neighboring Hyder, said she has hopes the project goes through.

 "Hyder's been dead for a long time," Tryon said.

 She said it could make an impact, "even though there's just going to be 50 (full-time) jobs."

 Jim Woodruff, vice president of regulatory and governmental affairs for NextLight, said the project would not only create jobs but it could increase revenue for the county through property taxes. Woodruff estimated that could be in the millions of dollars.

 County Supervisor Casey Prochaska, District 3, said additional revenue would especially help school districts in District 3, where the plant would be located.

 Prochaska called it a "major project" and said in addition to the revenue, it would diversify the economy of the area, which now is primarily agricultural.

 Woodruff said the plant could have up to 1,800 acres of solar "troughs" to "harvest" solar energy. He said the sunlight would collect in curved troughs. Then the sunlight would heat fluid-filled tubes and the energy would pass through a water tank to create steam, which in turn creates electricity.

 At capacity, he said, the plant could produce enough energy to power about 70,000 to 100,000 homes for a year.

 But, he said, NextLight would sell that electricity to a California electric company. Because of contract negotiations, Woodruff said he could not disclose the name of the company.

 Dateland resident Dennis Burhans said he'd rather see the electricity go to the surrounding area.

 "My disappointment is it's not going to change our electric bill," Burhans said. But he said he hopes the project goes through because it produces "clean energy."

 County Supervisor Chairman Gregory Ferguson, District 5, said "there's nothing better than clean energy" and he hopes the project will move forward.

 The next step is to for NextLight to get permits from various state and local agencies, Woodruff said. The process could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

 Representatives with NextLight said there will be additional public comment meetings in the Yuma County area the coming months.