A 600-megawatt power plant proposed in Avenal has cleared a major hurdle, as a state energy regulator recommended the project be approved.

In its presiding member’s proposed decision released today, the two-member committee assigned by the California Energy Commission to review the project determined that the facility, with mitigation measure, will meet all laws, regulations and standards and have no significant environmental impact.

The release of the proposed decision triggers the 30-day public comment period.

The committee will consider public comment before bringing the proposed decision to the full commission. The entire document is available on the Commission Web site: www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/avenal/documents/index.html.

The project owner Avenal Power Center, LLC of Houston, Texas, plans to build the project on 34 acres of a 148-acre industrial site just south of the Fresno County line and two miles east of Interstate 5. The project is six miles from Avenal’s residential and commercial areas.