The pumped storage hydropower project at Eagle Mountain, CA will transform a scarred brownfield site into a 1,300 Megawatt generator of green electricity that can light one million homes. The site is in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, more than 50 miles from the nearest city, Blythe, CA, and more than 60 miles from Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The construction of the project will create thousands of jobs and add millions of dollars to the local economy while adhering to the most rigorous environmental standards.
The Eagle Mountain pumped storage hydropower facility will use surplus solar power during the day to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir, which is later released through a hydroelectric turbine to generate electricity when needed
This facility will allow energy from a nearby solar power plant to be saved and then released during periods of higher demand. As a result, solar power can feed the grid all day, not just when the sun is shining.
Pumped storage is a decades-old technology that is widely used throughout the world. It is a globally recognized means of storing renewable energy and generating significant amounts of green electricity.
Beginning in 2002, the California State Senate passed several bills that require the California Public Utilities Commission to obtain at least 33% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020, and 50% by 2030. Legislation currently under consideration in California would require the state to use 100% renewable resources by the year 2045.
As renewable energy becomes a larger component of California’s energy landscape, the role of pumped storage will also increase. The process allows for the storage of renewable energy for use when the sun and wind are not available. Pumped storage provides renewable energy 24/7.
To meet our climate change goals, we must derive 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable resources by 2030
-California Energy Commission
The Eagle Mountain pumped storage facility is a $2.5 billion construction project, forecasted to generate 4,310 full and part-time jobs and $328 million of annual income for California residents. Riverside County will see 1,290 jobs and $87 million in annual income during each of the four years of construction.
The Eagle Mountain pumped storage project has the support of:
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Labor: