Location of proposed E-Group Solar Plant

Reasons are mounting that circumventing the city under State Assembly Bill 205 would not give E-Group’s solar plant an easy path to approval. In addition to doubts that the plant could generate enough electricity to qualify and pass environmental review, there is now this: AB 205 has almost never been used! Therefore, the Twentynine Palms community has free choice to act in our own best interest and just say “No” to E-Group’s proposal.

City officials should be extra careful to avoid spreading inaccurate information. Our officials must help citizens understand that: (1) E-Group’s solar power plant would not necessarily be approved under AB 205 for numerous reasons, and (2) in the event that it did grant approval, the State process would afford our community enforceable compensation and protection.

How many solar farms have been approved under AB 205 to date? The answer is: One. And it was approved only a few weeks ago, on June 11, 2025 (2025, State of California). Why is this a big deal? It is a big deal because E-Group announced its intention to build the plant in a letter framed as an ultimatum:

“In the event that the City elects to maintain its current moratorium and not work with E- Group, E-Group will pursue approvals through the permitting process recently established through Assembly Bill 205, which is intended to facilitate the approval of renewable energy projects by the State without any local approval. If approved by the State, the City will have far less control over project design and conditions of approval and would receive substantially less in public benefits. While this is not E-Group’s preferred outcome, it is willing to vigorously pursue this route if needed.” (City of Twentynine Palms, 2023)  

At the time of the letter, zero power plants had been approved under AB 205. It appears that AB 205 is not a glide path to solar plant approval as E-Group had implied. Not only is approval as rare as hen’s teeth, but the only power plant that has been approved bears little resemblance to E-Group’s.

Here are a few of the differences between the one project that did garner approval under AB 205 and the project that our City has been asked to permit:

• Difference Number One: The permitted plant is a huge 1,150-megawatt (MW) solar facility that will make an enormous impact on California’s overall solar energy capacity (State of California, 2025). Our community’s project would be much smaller at 50 MW (City of Twentynine Palms, 2024). Thus, our plant’s contribution to the state’s energy needs would be a drop in the bucket.
• Difference Number Two: The approved project is to be built on previously disrupted soil that is no longer able to support agricultural production. E-Group proposes bulldozing our pristine desert soil, removing the precious desert crust that keeps soil in place. The land would be denuded of ancient creosote bushes, and its documented Desert Tortoise population would be threatened.
• Difference Number Three: The AB 205 approved project has crafted concrete and extensive community and economic benefits that have been agreed to by diverse stakeholders. For example, the developer is bound to contribute: $2 million in Community investments over the next decade starting with a $320,000 commitment to Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, a nonprofit supporting crime victims, family wellness, and civic engagement in rural communities (State of California, 2025). By contrast, E-group has committed to a modest annual payment of between 100 and 150 thousand dollars to the City Council, who would decide how the money is spent. E-Group has thus not provided any guarantees to citizens that the funds would be used in ways they want.
• Difference Number Four: The approved plant will be designed, owned, and operated by Intersect Power and its subsidiary Darden I LLC. These are both large American companies with deep experience in solar power development and operations in California, the greater United States, and globally. They have an extensive internet presence, a great reputation, many awards and certifications, many employees, and clear contact channels. See https://www.intersectpower.com/who-we-are/ Compare the Intersect Power organization to the little-known, tiny Slovakian company E-Group with its nearly invisible web presence. E-Group is apparently mainly a financial company with expertise in funding portions of renewable energy plants but no in-house resources dedicated to actually building and operating entire plants. They have never completed a project in California or in the United States.

Let us not be afraid that E-Group’s questionable project will be foisted on our City if we don’t want it. We are free to choose—together—what is best for our community.  

References

1. State of California. (2025, June 12). CEC Approves World’s Largest Solar + Battery Storage in Fresno County Under Accelerated Permitting Program. California Energy Commission. https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2025-06/cec-approves-worlds-largest-solar-battery-storage-project-fresno-county-under
2. City of Twentynine Palms. (2023, May 23). Staff Report. Retrieved from https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/document/31666/
3. City of Twentynine Palms. (2024, February). Notice of Preparation and Initial Study. (https://www.ci.twentynine-palms.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BAE145833-008D-4FBA-AEC7-7D0EBD90E334%7D/uploads/Revised_29_Palms_Solar_IS-NOP_2.20.241.pdf