The Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is advancing nine solar projects on public lands that could potentially power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. The projects will support President Biden's goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.
Today's actions follow the Department's April announcement that the BLM has permitted more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects - surpassing a major milestone ahead of 2025 - enough clean energy to power more than 12 million homes across the country. This includes solar, wind and geothermal projects, as well as gen-tie lines on public lands that are essential for connecting clean electricity projects on both federal and non-federal land to the grid.
"The Interior Department is playing a pivotal role in helping tackle the climate crisis, boost the clean energy economy and provide communities across the nation with clean, reliable energy," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus. "With today's advancement of nine solar energy projects on public lands, we are taking a significant step towards these efforts and President Biden's ambitious clean energy goals."
"The Biden-Harris administration's commitment to sustainable development means that we are protecting our natural and cultural resources while moving quickly towards our nation's clean energy goals," said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. "As we continue to review clean energy projects, we are committed to collaborating with states, Tribes and stakeholders to ensure that we are building lasting opportunities to create jobs and stimulate the clean energy economy.
Progress on Esmeralda 7 Solar Project
Key to the progress announced today is Esmeralda 7, which encompasses seven proposed utility scale solar facilities with battery energy storage systems on approximately 118,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands near Tonopah, Nevada. The BLM is opening a 45-day public comment period on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Esmeralda 7. The BLM's programmatic environmental impact statement would provide the foundation for individual environmental analyses of each project, after which the BLM would decide whether to grant rights-of-way for some or all of the projects. If all the proposed projects are approved, they would have the capacity to generate 5.35 gigawatts of clean electricity - enough to power roughly 1.6 million homes.
Progress on Libra Solar
The BLM also published the final environmental impact statement for the proposed 5,100-acre Libra Solar Project in Mineral and Lyon Counties, Nevada. If approved, Libra Solar would include a 700 megawatt (MW) solar energy facility, a 700 MW battery energy storage system, and a 24-mile-long generation tie-line. The project would generate and store enough clean energy to power more than 212,000 homes. The environmental impact statement for the Libra Solar Project was initiated with a notice of intent on April 24, 2023. The statement and associated documents are available for inspection at the project's website on BLM's National NEPA Register.
Progress on Elisabeth Solar
The BLM is also opening a 30-day public comment period on a draft environmental assessment for the Elisabeth Solar Project near Dateland, Arizona, located on 1,400 acres approximately 65 miles east of the City of Yuma within the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone. If approved, the project would produce up to 270 MW of clean electricity and up to 300 MW of battery storage.
As of July 2024, an additional 70 utility-scale clean energy projects are in process by the BLM throughout the Western United States. These projects have the potential to produce almost 32 gigawatts of renewable energy. In addition, BLM has begun the preliminary review of approximately 166 applications for solar and wind development, as well as more than 40 applications for solar and wind energy site testing.
