Calpine, a business unit of Constellation Energy, has completed the 105MW Pastoria Solar Project, the largest renewable energy facility contracted to date by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as part of its plan to fully decarbonise the State Water Project (SWP) by 2035. The project, co‑located near the Edmonston Pumping Plant, is one of the largest single electricity loads in California and the backbone of the SWP, which supplies water to about 27 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland.
The Pastoria site integrates solar photovoltaics, an 80MW/320MWh battery storage system (Pastoria Power Bank) and a 750MW natural gas‑fired combined‑cycle plant, delivering firm, dispatchable capacity at a critical point on California’s grid. The battery is scheduled to come online in spring/summer 2026 under a 15‑year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
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Calpine president and CEO Andrew Novotny described the project as a model of integrated, public‑private energy planning, combining reliability and decarbonisation to support California’s 2045 clean energy goals. DWR director Karla Nemeth said Pastoria is a key step toward making the SWP carbon-neutral while maintaining uninterrupted water deliveries.
Labour leaders, including Chris Hannan of the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, highlighted the project’s role in creating high‑quality union jobs and advancing the state’s clean energy transition.
The SWP, already one of California’s cleanest‑powered utilities, expects Pastoria to help meet its 2035 zero‑carbon target while continuing to serve the economic and social needs of the fourth‑largest US economy.
