Two power plant developers were both given extensions for the start of construction, but the lengths of those extensions were very different. The commission on Dec. 14 gave the Black Rock geothermal power plant project another three years to commence construction after a plea from a representative of the owner, Cal Energy, a subsidiary of CE Obsidian Energy. “I just want to assure you that we are pursuing this project very seriously,” project manager Jeff Hansen said. “We’ve got all the ancillary permits that we need, we have our bids, we just have a schedule delay, all these things have come up with transmission and PPA (power purchase agreement) issues.” Black Rock 1, 2, 3 is a planned 215 MW geothermal power project slated for an 80-acre site in the Salton Sea area. The other extension was granted to the Blythe Energy Project--this time for five months, to May 14, 2012. The action, however, was a precursor to a possible five-year extension for the start of construction on the project. The Blythe Energy Project is a proposed 520 MW fossil-fueled plant that was licensed by the commission in 2005. A representative for the project’s developer, a subsidiary of Caithness Energy, agreed to the five-month extension as a stop-gap measure until the company can submit a staff assessment showing that the extension is warranted. The company says that it filed for the extension so it could modify the project by changing combustion and steam turbine enclosures, adding an auxiliary boiler, and changing a tower configuration. At the end of the five months, Caithness is expected to return to the commission to request a full five-year extension.