A massive Obama-era solar power plant is on the path to shutting down as President Donald Trump works to unwind federal green energy initiatives.
Two of three units at the Ivanpah solar power plant, near the California-Nevada border, may cease operations next year after Pacific Gas & Electric announced last month that it would no longer purchase power from the facility. The plant opened in 2014, having received $1.6 billion in loan guarantees from then-president Barack Obama's Department of Energy. Then-energy secretary Ernest Moniz praised the project, describing it as "a shining example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy."
The plant, however, has struggled to deliver on its electricity targets, leading Republicans to criticize it as well as the DOE's loan program for bankrolling costly green energy projects. Trump, who repeatedly tried to ax the loan program during his first term, has declared a national energy emergency and reversed the Biden administration's electric vehicle targets. The president also ordered a freeze on unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated significant resources to climate initiatives.
The loan program is "all cost, no benefit," Benjamin Zycher, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told E&E News, arguing that it exemplifies government funding projects that cannot compete in the market and do little to help the climate.
Some left-wing organizations, meanwhile, have criticized the Ivanpah plant for harming the environment. Julia Dowell, a senior campaign organizer at the Sierra Club, called the Ivanpah plant "a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster," the Associated Press reported.
The Senate on Monday confirmed Chris Wright as secretary of energy. Wright, who received bipartisan support for his confirmation, said he will prioritize American "energy dominance," pursuing innovation, and cutting red tape.