The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is initiating the permitting process for three proposed solar projects in Arizona that could add 1000MW of clean energy to the grid.
Scoping meetings will soon be announced for environmental analysis of the proposed Jove solar project, which would produce up to 600MW of utility-scale renewable energy from solar photovoltaic modules on 3,495 acres of public land located in southeastern La Paz County.
There will also be a two-year segregation of more than 4,400 acres of public land associated with two proposed utility-scale solar energy projects.
The segregation action supports review of the proposed 250MW Pinyon Solar project in Maricopa County, and the proposed 300MW Elisabeth Solar project in Yuma County.
The move came as US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has announced new efforts to support solar energy development on public lands across the West of the country.
This would be to meet the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious renewable energy and conservation goals.
The BLM will develop an updated plan to guide responsible solar energy development on public lands through an updated Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
Secretary Haaland said: “This Administration is committed to expanding clean energy development to address climate change, enhance America’s energy security and provide for good-paying union jobs.
“Our review of these proposed projects in Arizona, and a new analysis of the role public lands can play in furthering solar energy production, will help ensure we keep the momentum going to build a clean energy future, lower costs for families and create robust conservation outcomes on the nation’s lands and waters.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis added: “We take seriously our responsibility to manage the nation’s public lands responsibly and with an eye toward the increasing impacts of the climate crisis.
“The power and potential of the clean energy future is an undeniable and critical part of that work.
“The Bureau of Land Management is working diligently to ensure that its processes and pace maintain the momentum we are seeing from industry.”
During the trip, the leaders also announced that the BLM is issuing updated guidance to improve consistency in processing rights-of-way for utility-scale solar projects under the variance process established by BLM’s 2012 Western Solar Plan, which is used for solar projects outside of Solar Energy Zones.
Across the West, the BLM is currently processing 65 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands.
This includes solar, wind and geothermal projects, as well as interconnect gen-tie lines that are vital to clean energy projects proposed on non-federal land.
These projects have the combined potential to add over 31,000MW of renewable energy to the western electric grid.
The BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of more than 100 applications for solar and wind development, as well as nearly 50 applications for wind and solar energy testing.