The Interior Department granted approval to construct two large-scale solar plants on public land in California, a precedent that likely will pave the way for follow-up projects.

The Imperial Valley Solar Project, projected to generate as much as 709 megawatts from more than 28,000 solar dishes and power at least 212,000 homes, will be constructed by Tessara Solar of Texas. Chevron Energy Solutions of California is slated to build a 45-megawatt facility with more than 40,000 solar panels to power more than 14,000 homes.

"These projects are milestones in our focused effort to rapidly and responsibly capture renewable energy resources on public lands," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters.

The Texas company is building on 6,360 acres in Imperial County while the California company is building on 422 acres in San Bernardino, both of which are public land.

The government will give Tessara $273 million and Chevron $31 million because their projects qualify for funding outlined in a provision of the economic stimulus bill that permits grants rather than tax credits for solar projects begun by the end of 2010.