The Business Journal: Long-Term Energy Project Could Bring Relief to California Ratepayers, Reclaim Farmland

published on June 23, 2025 – 4:24 PM
Written by Frank Lopez

A major clean energy and infrastructure project planned for California’s Central Valley could reduce electricity costs, create thousands of jobs, and breathe new life into fallowed agricultural land.

The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP), developed by Golden State Clean Energy, a Newport Beach-based renewable energy and infrastructure developer, in collaboration with the Westlands Water District, is a master-planned transmission and renewable energy project located in Fresno County.

The project aims to repurpose up to 130,000 acres of drainage-impaired and subsidence-prone agricultural lands for solar generation, energy storage, and high-voltage transmission infrastructure in western Fresno County—one of the most productive but water-challenged farming regions in the U.S.

According to the developer, the VCIP would generate 20 gigawatts of clean energy across the state, supported by new 500-kilovolt transmission lines and substations.

Once completed, the project could supply one-sixth of California’s electricity needs by 2025 and up to one-tenth by 2050.

The first phase is expected to be operational by 2030.

A recent independent study by 1898 & Co., a global business and technology consulting firm, estimated the VCIP could save California ratepayers $9 billion by 2050  —including $850 million annually in electricity savings — while delivering sustained economic benefits.

For full article, click here: https://thebusinessjournal.com/long-term-energy-project-could-bring-relief-to-california-ratepayers-reclaim-farmland/