BLM roadmap opens 22 million acres of public lands to utility-scale solar development
Energize Weekly, January 24, 2024
A total of 22 million acres of public lands in the West would be open to utility-scale solar development under a plan proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Jan. 17.
At the same time, the bureau announced the status of projects already underway in Arizona, California, and Nevada with more than 1,700 megawatts (MW) of solar generation and 1,300 MW of storage.
The new plan expands a BLM solar development plan, or solar roadmap, first developed in 2012, by adding five states to the original six.
The original states in the plan were California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. The additions are Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. The five will add 5.4 million acres to the roadmap.
An analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that projects on 700,000 acres of public lands – producing 100,000 MW of electricity – will be needed over the next 20 years to meet national goals for renewable energy deployment.
The roadmap offers six development scenarios, but the agency’s preferred plan restricts development to within 10 miles of existing or planned transmission and takes in account ecological and cultural resources.
Solar development in these designated areas would be eligible for a streamlined permitting process.
“By directing development to areas that have fewer sensitive resources, less conflict with other uses of public lands, and close proximity to transmission lines, the BLM can permit clean energy more efficiently while maintaining robust public and Tribal engagement, which are central features of all BLM reviews of individual projects,” the agency said.
The agency also provided updates on six projects in Nevada, California, and Arizona.
Draft environmental impact statements were issued for three Nevada projects:
• The 700-MW Libra Solar Project in Mineral and Lyons counties
• The 400-MW Rough Hat Clark County Project, which includes 700 MW of storage
• The Dry Lake East Energy Center Project, which includes 200 MW of generation and 200 MW of storage
The BLM also announced a Notice of Intent for the Dodge Flat Solar Project, which, if approved, would generate up to 200 MW on about 700 acres of public land in Washoe County, Nevada.
The agency said it will soon release a Notice to Proceed for the 44-MW Camino Solar Project on 223 acres of public land in Kern County, California.
In Arizona, the construction of the 179-MW White Wing Ranch Solar Project, in Yuma County, has been completed, the bureau said.
The BLM said it has approved 47 clean energy projects and permitted 11,236 megawatts of wind, solar and geothermal energy on public lands – enough to power more than 3.5 million homes – under the Biden administration.
“Our public lands are playing a critical role in the clean energy transition – and the progress the Bureau of Land Management is announcing today on several clean energy projects across the West represents our continued momentum in achieving those goals,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement.
