California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Feb. 19 invited the public to participate in the scoping process for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Central Valley Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System (PV/BESS) Project—just one day before the Federal Railroad Administration, at the direction of Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, initiated a review of CHSRA to “help determine whether roughly $4 billion in taxpayer money should remain committed to the proposed project to build high-speed rail in the California Central Valley between Merced and Bakersfield.”
CHSRA also reported that it intends to publish a Notice of Intent for initiating public scoping under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and needed for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The proposed Central Valley PV/BESS Project would allow CHSRA to operate the high-speed rail initial operating segment on renewable energy through solar generation and battery storage on CHSRA-owned property in Merced, Fresno, Kings, and Kern counties (see map, below). “The PV would produce the electrical energy to power the system while the BESS would reduce peak-demand during normal train operations and provide electrical energy backup in the event of an outage,” CHSRA said. “Staff are currently evaluating potential sites and seeking public input on the scope of the environmental document.”
According to CHSRA, the Merced to Fresno Project Section EIR/EIS (2012) and the Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section EIR/EIS (2014) previously evaluated and approved construction, operation, and maintenance of traction power substations (TPSS) along the Central Valley alignment to provide power for the high-speed rail system. The proposed PV/BESS Project will connect to the associated TPSS sites and be located adjacent to the high-speed rail alignment within two to 11 miles from each TPSS (download project fact sheet, below).
The project, CHSRA reported, will:
- “Generate electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
- “Store energy in battery systems to ensure uninterrupted rail operations.
- “Enhance energy resilience, lower operational costs, and reduce reliance on the traditional power grid.”
“This project is key to achieving a fully renewable energy-powered high-speed rail system,” CHSRA Director of Planning and Sustainability Margaret Cederoth said. “By integrating Photovoltaic solar fields with Battery Energy Storage Systems at traction power supply substations, we’re ensuring a stable, cost-effective power supply while advancing California’s climate goals.”
As part of the environmental review, CHSRA will collect public and agency input about whether there are “areas of environmental concern with potential site-specific significant impacts associated with the construction, maintenance and operation of the PV/BESS Project.” Gathering such input, CHSRA said, will “ensure a comprehensive review of impacts on communities, wildlife, air quality, and the environment.” Comments received will be incorporated into the environmental document. Public input will guide the development of the analysis, covering areas such as the impact on local ecosystems, air and water quality, agricultural land impacts, traffic patterns, community health, and more.
Public scoping meetings will be held in March 2025 (March 11, March 12, and March 13), allowing attendees to learn about the PV/BESS Project, ask questions, and to provide feedback through written or verbal comments. “Members of the community were previously noticed these would be joint meetings for the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance Facility (HMF) and for the Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System Projects,” CHSRA noted. “However, the scoping process for the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance Facility Project has been changed. The scheduled meetings will ONLY feature information and opportunities to comment on the Central Valley Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System Project.”
Written comments can also be submitted to CHSRA by mail or email by April 8, 2025.
For more information and to submit written comments on the PV/BESS Project, contact:
Stefan Galvez-Abadia
Director of Environmental Services
California High-Speed Rail Authority
770 L Street, Suite 620, MS-2
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: PV-BESS@hsr.ca.gov
Hotline: 1-559-425-4438
