Alice Campbell News Review Contributor–
According to a recent report that came to The News-Review on Tuesday afternoon, construction for a 160-acre new solar plant will begin in November 2023 and be completed in December 2024.
According to the site plan, the plant will be located in the Triangle East of North Brown Road, adjacent to the Airport to the West side of Highway 395, and South of the Sewer ponds, just north of Inyokern Road, near Ace Hardware and the Chevron gas station.
The name of the company developing the project is Dimension Renewable Energy. For neighbors within 3 miles, the contact at the company is Charlotte Parker, Director of Community Engagement 559-423-0414, . The first notice to neighbors in the area was a warning of the potential for Valley Fever, given that the soil will be disturbed, the symptoms of Valley Fever, and the company’s measures for dust control. The company provided the enclosed map when more information was requested about how prevailing wind conditions in Inyokern might impact the residents.
According to Parker, the project under construction is a community solar project. Community solar projects save people money on their electric bills. We anticipate the project will provide electricity bill savings to as many as 2,500 local households.
The project will create Kern County jobs. At peak construction, we’ll have roughly 90-100 union workers on site, 80% of whom are expected to be local Kern County hires through Kern County’s local union, IBEW 428. Our major contractors on the project are union signatories.
