Paul Hastings Advises Solar Millennium in Blythe Solar Power Project

October 28, 2010

San Francisco, CA (October 28, 2010) - Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, a leading global law firm, announced that the firm has provided and continues to provide successful counsel to Solar Millennium, LLC on the Blythe Solar Power Project, which received final approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior on October 25.

The project involves the construction of a 1,000-megawatt (MW) solar thermal electric generating facility that will be located on 7,000 acres of land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) eight miles west of the city of Blythe, California. The project is one of several "fast track" projects designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior for expedited environmental review and permitting. At 1,000 MW, the Blythe project will be the largest of the fast track projects, and, once it is constructed, it will be the largest solar project in the world.

Paul Hastings has served as Solar Millennium's federal siting and permitting counsel since the company proposed the Blythe project more than two years ago. In that role, Paul Hastings has assisted Solar Millennium in securing permits from myriad federal agencies, including a Record of Decision and right-of-way grant from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, a Biological Opinion/Incidental Take Permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and a jurisdictional determination from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The firm also represented Solar Millennium in negotiations with environmental groups and other stakeholders.

Environmental and Energy partner Peter Weiner and Environmental and Energy Senior associate Matthew J. Sanders led the Paul Hastings team.

Paul Hastings currently represents seven solar companies in their efforts to secure federal and state permits and approvals for large-scale solar projects. The firm also represents a number of solar trade associations in their efforts to make programmatic improvements to the siting and permitting process.

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker is a leading global law firm with offices in Asia, Europe, and the United States. We provide innovative legal solutions to financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies. Please visit www.paulhastings.com for more information.