Tag Archive for: blm

The BLM's updated Western Solar Plan will guide solar energy siting and development across 11 western states for the next decade.

BLM’s solar plan: Balancing efficiency, flexibility, & conservation

A foundation for smart siting of solar power on federal public lands

Today’s publication of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) for solar energy development represents a new chapter in renewable energy development on federal public lands. With the FPEIS, the BLM has built on the success of the 2012 Western Solar Plan—under which ~40 new solar projects with generating capacity of 9 GW were permitted through 2022—to lay the foundations for federally managed lands to play an important role in responsibly accelerating the clean energy transition.

In 2012, the BLM published planning documents to support the siting and development of utility scale solar projects across six western states. The plan introduced the concept of “Solar Energy Zones” designed to proactively direct and incentivize development to areas the agency felt best suited for energy production and avoidance of resource conflicts. The same document also introduced the “variance area” concept, which created a more flexible approach for developers to submit proposals for development on nearly 19 million acres (about the area of South Carolina) of lands outside of dedicated zones. And finally, the plan mapped “exclusion areas,” or federal lands where certain types of resource conflicts (like endangered species habitat or lands with wilderness characteristics) meant that development was inappropriate or especially harmful.

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Source: Clean Technica

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The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pursuing the development of nine solar PV projects with a combined capacity of over 6.2GW.

US Bureau of Land Management advances 6.2GW of solar projects

The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pursuing the development of nine solar PV projects with a combined capacity of over 6.2GW.

The flagship development is the Esmerelda 7 solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project, which comprises seven utility-scale solar facilities with a combined 5.35GW of generation capacity. The sites would be deployed on 118,000 acres of public lands in Nevada, near the historic mining town of Tonopah. All of the seven sites would be paired with BESS, though the BLM did not disclose the storage capacity or duration.

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Source: PV Tech

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BLM issued a Notice to Proceed authorizing Avangrid to begin construction of the Camino Solar Project, a 44MW solar photovoltaic facility.

BLM approves Camino Solar Project in Kern County

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Today, the Bureau of Land Management issued a Notice to Proceed authorizing Avangrid to begin construction of the Camino Solar Project, a 44-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility that will be located on 233 acres of public lands and 150 acres of adjoining private land in Kern County.

“The Camino Solar Project will expand access to clean energy for Californians and increase reliability for the state’s power grid,” said BLM California Desert District Manager Shelly Lynch. “Projects like this one support the nation’s transition to a clean energy economy by adding more carbon-free electricity to the grid, creating jobs, and boosting local economies.”

The project is expected to employ 150 people during peak construction, include a 34.5-kV underground electrical collector line, and connect to the existing Southern California Edison Whirlwind Substation through the Manzana Wind Substation and associated 220 kV generation-tie line.

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Source: BLM.gov

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The BLM has started accepting public comments related to the environmental assessment of an up to 400-MW solar project to be partly located on public lands in California.

BLM seeks public input on 400-MW solar project in California

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The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has started accepting public comments related to the environmental assessment of an up to 400-MW solar project to be partly located on public lands in California.
Feedback for the Easley Solar scheme will be gathered for 30 days, until October 15, BLM said on Friday.
The project was put forward by IP Easley, a subsidiary of Intersect Power LLC, which intends to build, operate and maintain a photovoltaic (PV) farm in Riverside County. The complex will cover around 2,700 acres (1,093 ha) of BLM-administered public lands and 990 acres of private lands north of Desert Centre. The area will be developed in line with the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which covers 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties and aims to streamline renewable energy development while preserving desert ecosystems.

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Source: Renewables Now

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Once completed, the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System project will increase the project’s total storage capacity by 530 megawatts, enough to power over 90,000 homes.

BLM expands California desert solar farm

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The Bureau of Land Management is advancing construction for its energy storage system in Riverside County, California, furthering the energy capacity of the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm.

Once completed, the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System project will increase the project’s total storage capacity by 530 megawatts, enough to power over 90,000 homes. BLM’s Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System, approved in 2021, already provides 550 MW of electricity and 230 MW of energy storage for the state’s power grid.

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Source: Environmental Leader

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BLM has approved the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System in Riverside County to add up to 300 megawatts for a total 530 megawatts of energy storage capacity provided to the state power grid.

BLM advances clean energy in California

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The Bureau of Land Management has approved the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System in Riverside County to add up to 300 megawatts for a total 530 megawatts of energy storage capacity provided to the state power grid from the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, another step toward meeting the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of achieving a carbon-free electric grid by 2035.

“Continuing to invest in clean renewable energy remains a high priority for the BLM, and battery storage systems help meet increasing demands to energy usage and security,” said Shelly Lynch, California Desert District Manager.

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Source: Bureau of Land Management

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A 230MW battery energy storage system from NextEra Energy Resources has come online in California

230MW BESS comes online at Bureau of Land Management site in California

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A 230MW battery energy storage system (BESS) from NextEra Energy Resources, part of a large solar-plus-storage project, has come online in California.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages the land on which the 94-acre project is located in Riverside County, announced the start of commercial operations on the Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System yesterday (16 August).

The 230MW BESS project adjoins the existing Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and will store renewable energy generated by the Farm and shift it to peak demand hours.

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Source: Energy Storage News

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The project will support the development of utility-scale solar resources & will boost the reliability of the bulk power system in AZ and CA.

US greenlights key solar line project to power California

The Ten West Link project is set to run 125 miles between the Delaney substation near Tonopah, Arizona, and the Colorado River substation in Blythe, California. It will be built next to an existing transmission line.

When CAISO evaluated the project, the grid operator found it would reduce costs for California ratepayers by gaining access to less expensive electricity in Arizona, the California Public Utilities Commission said in its November 2021 decision approving the project.

Among the project’s benefits, Delaney Colorado River Transmission expects it will reduce CAISO’s need to curtail renewable energy output on its system, according to the PUC.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The project will create 750 union construction jobs and produce solar energy to power 146,000 homes.

BLM approves start of construction of Oberon solar project

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management has issued the final approval for construction of the Oberon solar project on about 2,600 acres of BLM-managed land near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, a significant milestone in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to modernize America’s power infrastructure in the West and permit at least 25 gigawatts of solar, wind, and geothermal production on public lands by 2025.

“This solar project is the third project approved for full construction under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and an example of how public land in California plays a big role in achieving the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035,” said Karen Mouritsen, BLM California State Director. “The BLM is committed to responsible renewable energy development that balances conservation and utilization of public land.”

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Source: BLM

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