Labor agreements reached for Ivanpah solar project

Laborers and other craftsmen from Barstow and the High Desert are expected to be among the first to obtain construction jobs for Bright Source Energy’s Ivanpah 440 megawatt Solar Electricity Generating System. But union officials are waiting for the project to complete the environmental review process before it begins hiring efforts.

Bechtel Construction Company, the company contracted to build the project, announced a labor agreement with the Building and Construction Trades Council of California and the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, Thursday. Under the agreement, both building and construction trades councils will provide craft workers to build the project, located in California about 5 miles from Primm, Nev.

“Our focus is going to be to provide those jobs through referral halls in San Bernardino, primarily to San Bernardino County residents with an emphasis on High Desert residents” said Bill Perez, executive secretary and business manager for the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

According to Perez, the project will require between 850 and 1,000 construction jobs, involving 28 different trades from laborers to surveyors. Laborers Union Local 783 has referral halls in Barstow, Victorville and San Bernardino, he said. And electricians have a union referral hall in Victorville that covers the High Desert region.

Before the trades council does outreach efforts, Perez said it is waiting for the Ivanpah project to get through the California Energy Commission and Bureau of Land Management’s review process.

“The members know about this project well ahead of time, especially those that are out of work,” he said. “We don’t want to give hope too early.”

Right now, the project is undergoing evidentiary hearings with the California Energy Commission, according to Percy Della, commission spokesman. Commission staff, Bright Source Energy and other parties will present evidence to support their views on the project and the presiding commissioners will issue a proposed decision. After a proposed decision is issued, there will be 30 to 45 days of public comment before the entire commission makes a final decision about the project, he said.

The BLM is jointly reviewing the project with the CEC, according to Bright Source spokesman Keely Wachs. BLM representatives were unavailable for comment, Thursday. According to Wachs, the project should be done with environmental review in March. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2010, he said. The joint review process for the Ivanpah project began in 2007.

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