The US federal government has given the green light for the 690MW Gemini solar and battery storage project in Nevada.
The Bureau of Land Management and the US Department of the Interior have approved the $1.1bn project, backed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.
This Record of Decision formally concludes the federal authorisation and environmental review process for Gemini and is based on the Final Environmental Impact Statement issued in December 2019 under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Quinbrook co-founder and managing partner David Scaysbrook said: “This final decision officially clears the pathway for Quinbrook, and our development partners at Arevia, to accelerate completion of detailed project designs and procurement plans for one of the world’s largest renewables projects ever undertaken.
“Gemini offers the opportunity to showcase, at an unprecedented scale, what we believe to be one of the most promising technological advances in coupling battery storage to utility scale solar power to produce low cost renewable energy over the long term.”
He added that Gemini will benefit all Nevadans by supporting jobs, stimulating the local economy and capturing the state’s abundant solar resources to deliver low-cost, renewable power to NV Energy customers.
Gemini is one of the largest projects of its kind globally, with plans to host the solar PV arrays located on up to 7100 acres, coupled with the latest in battery storage infrastructure.
The project will capture and store solar energy during the day and dispatch it during the early evening peak period when power demand surges in Nevada.
The addition of battery storage to large-scale solar generation will enable the long-term reduction of carbon emissions from existing power generation sources.
In June 2019, Gemini signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy, which means that all of the energy generated by the project will stay in Nevada.