Salazar praises California solar project as 'major milestone'

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar touted Friday a California-based solar energy facility he said will be the largest in the world as a “major milestone” in the Obama administration efforts to expand reliance on renewable energy.

Salazar attended the groundbreaking of the Blythe Solar Power Project in Riverside County, Calif. The 1,000-megawatt project will power 300,000 to 750,000 homes and result in about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and a little over 200 permanent jobs, according to the Interior Department.

When completed, the project will be the largest of its kind in the world, the Interior Department says.

“Breaking ground on what will be the world’s largest solar power project is a major milestone in our nation’s renewable energy economy and shows that the United States intends to compete and lead in the technologies of the future,” Salazar said. “This project shows in a real way how harnessing our own renewable resources can create good jobs here at home and contribute to our nation’s energy security.”

Salazar was joined at the facility by California Gov. Jerry Brown (D). The administration is working closely with the state to encourage renewable energy development.

Salazar signed an agreement with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 to encourage renewable development on lands in the state.

The Energy Department has offered a $2.1 billion loan guarantee for the first phase of the project. The first phase should be completed in 2013.