Starlight Solar Major Use Permit

The Starlight Solar Project, identified by solicitation number PDS2022-MUP-22-010, is a utility-scale energy development located on approximately 588 acres in southeastern San Diego County, California. The project consists of a 100 MW alternating current solar photovoltaic facility and a 217.4 MW battery energy storage system, to be constructed in two phases over an estimated 30 months. Infrastructure includes panels with a maximum height of 12 feet, inverters, transformers, a collector substation, and a generation-tie line connecting to the SDG&E Boulevard substation. To support conservation, the project includes a 448-acre off-site biological open space easement. The facility will be unoccupied, secured, and remotely monitored on land zoned as General Rural. The project is subject to rigorous environmental and regulatory compliance under CEQA and NEPA, requiring a Major Use Permit and a Fire Services Agreement. A Draft Environmental Impact Report identified significant impacts to biological, cultural, and tribal resources, hazards, hydrology, and wildfire, most of which will be reduced to less than significant through specific mitigation measures. However, impacts to aesthetics remain significant and unavoidable. Key requirements include the implementation of a Fire Protection and Mitigation Agreement, the submission of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, and coordination with agencies such as Caltrans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors officially approved the project on September 16, 2026, certifying the EIR and adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations.