Loan Guarantee to Mojave Solar, LLC for the Abengoa Mojave Solar Project near Barstow, California

Mojave Solar, LLC (Mojave Solar), solely owned by Abengoa Solar, Inc., submitted an application to DOE under the federal loan guarantee program pursuant to the Energy Policy Act to support construction of a 250‐megawatt (MW) net output solar power plant in San Bernardino County, California. The proposed solar power plant is located entirely on private land and is referred to as the Abengoa Mojave Solar Project (hereinafter referred to as AMSP). Additional facilities are required to distribute the solar power to the electrical grid, including a new substation, interconnection to the adjacent existing transmission lines, and fiber‐optic telecommunication lines linking various substations in the region. Southern California Edison (SCE) proposes to construct and operate these additional facilities. The telecommunication components, known as Special Protection System (SPS) upgrades, are evaluated in this environmental assessment (EA) as part of the proposed Project. The AMSP and the associated supporting infrastructure are hereinafter referred to as the “proposed Project.”