Previously announced as having 500 megawatts in capacity, the Fort Irwin solar facility may end up double that size.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected Clark Energy Group, an affiliate of Clark Realty Capital, to develop the solar power project in the Department of Defense at Fort Irwin, which is in California. Acciona Solar Power also will partner with Clark Energy to construct and manage the Fort Irwin Solar Energy EUL project.
What was already scheduled to be the largest renewable energy project in Defense Department history is being built to accommodate a gigawatt in capacity, according to a press release.
The development, which covers 21 square miles in the Mojave Desert, is just now getting under way. It should take 13 years to complete and cost $1.5 billion.
Fort Irwin is home to a Defense Department National Training Center.
At 500 MW, the facility will produce 1,250 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year for Fort Irwin facilities.