San Francisco (Platts)--4Jan2010/452 pm EST/2152 GMT

A bill recently introduced by US Senator Diane Feinstein to conserve large parts of the Mojave desert could derail plans for large-scale solar power projects totaling more than 5000 MW.

The bill, introduced December 21 by Feinstein, a California Democrat and author of the 1994 Desert Protection Act, would preserve more than a million acres as national monuments or as expansions of existing national parks.

The legislation also aims to expedite the approval process for some renewable projects on federal lands by requiring detailed project applications, including plans for obtaining water.

Projects currently sited on desert land that the bill would deem off-limits include a 500-MW solar project proposed by Pacific Gas & Electric and two proposed Solel solar projects totaling 1,100 MW, according to the US Bureau of Land Management.

PG&E "doesn't have a final determination on the impact of the site," on its 500-MW Trilobite solar project, utility spokesman Jonathan Marshall said Friday when asked whether the project could be relocated or scuttled if the bill passes.

Also potentially threatened by Feinstein's legislation are six large-scale wind projects in early stages of development, including one by NRG subsidiary Padoma Wind Power.

--Lisa Weinzimer, lisa_weinzimer@platts.com