ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — In the words of Mayor Olivia Calderón, the future is bright in the city of Arvin, as it held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday for a new solar array that will power the city's wastewater treatment facility.
The solar facility, part of a partnership between the city and Veolia, is a one-megawatt facility that will power the plant. Any extra energy will be sent out to the grid, with the city receiving a credit from PG&E for future payments.
City staff and elected officials were all smiles as the project officially came to a close.
"This is huge. This is something that's been going on since I started as city manager back in '21-'22. It's a great cost savings for the city of Arvin, $300,000 a year, and the electricity makes us go green. It's great for the future of the city," said Arvin's city manager, Jeff Jones.
With power to the wastewater facility sorted, the city is now turning its attention to upgrades on the 70-year-old facility. As 23ABC's neighborhood reporter Karla Sosa previously reported, the city received a $5 million grant for these improvements.
WATCH KARLA'S STORY ON THE $5 MILLION GRANT FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS:
"Before the solar project, our monthly electricity bills were about $30,000, $30,000 a month. Since this project went up and has been operational since November of 2025, our bills are now $500 a month," Calderón said.
Calderón said construction on that portion of the project is slated to start in April and will open the city’s ability to build more homes and bring in more commercial ventures.
"Our wastewater treatment plant both having the energy capacity to grow into the future, but also the $5 million grant that we received from the wastewater treatment from the from the Water Board to be able to repair pond three will enable us to have the capacity to treat the water and now power our plant, so that we could grow into the future and ensure that we're bringing in those investors to build housing, to build commercial which means jobs," Calderon said.
The loan secured by the city to pay for this facility is slated to be paid off in 13 years.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
