LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Last week, California regulators rejected plans to shut down the Ivanpah Solar Project along Interstate 15 at the Nevada border. The solar plant, once seen as a model for the future, is now viewed as a $2.2 billion boondoggle.
For travelers between Las Vegas and Southern California, the three bright lights atop 459-foot towers are beacons. The plant has produced power for more than a decade, opening in February of 2014. But an agreement reached in January would have spelled the end as Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) looked to cheaper power sources.
Ivanpah was expected to operate until at least 2039. Now operations will continue as the powerful utility company looks at its options. A senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has already said the decision will be appealed…