BrightSource Energy has received approval for development of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System project by California Energy Commission.

The Ivanpah project, to be built by Bechtel, will generate 370MW of energy when completed.

The project will be built in three phases – one 120MW phase and two 125MW phases and is based on distributed power tower and heliostat mirror technology.

Ivanpah is one of nine large solar thermal projects scheduled to go before the California Energy Commission before the end of the year.

BrightSource expects to have all of the necessary permits to begin construction in fall 2010.

In February 2010, the US Department of Energy awarded BrightSource Energy $1.37bn financing for the Ivanpah project.