U.S. Inside Secretary Deb Haaland stated the company’s Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) is growing 15 new renewable power installations throughout the western U.S., together with some that just lately have begun business operation. Haaland supplied an replace on the initiatives Nov. 6 as she addressed the Western Governors Affiliation Winter Assembly in Jackson Gap, Wyoming.
Haaland highlighted a number of installations, together with the 500-MW Oberon Photo voltaic Undertaking in Riverside County, California, that features power storage and got here on-line Nov. 3. Haaland additionally famous the Arlington Photo voltaic Vitality Middle, a 364-MW mission in Riverside County that features power storage and entered business operation on Nov. 6.
The Biden administration has set a objective of 25 GW of onshore renewable power technology capability on public lands by 2025. Inside Dept. officers in a Nov. 3 name with media stated the BLM prior to now two years has authorised 46 renewable initiatives on public lands. Officers stated the installations have mixed technology capability of greater than 11.2 GW.
The initiatives embrace 20 associated to grid tie-ins and transmission line upgrades, in accordance with the BLM, together with 16 photo voltaic and 10 geothermal energy installations.
Momentum for Decarbonization
“The development of those initiatives displays vital progress throughout the West to decarbonize our economic system, create jobs, and assist handle the local weather disaster,” Haaland stated throughout the media name. “In addition they construct on the large momentum we’ve seen all through this administration to [break] floor on transmission strains that may ship this clear power throughout the West.”
Officers stated the BLM is presently processing 66 utility-scale onshore clear power initiatives proposed on public lands throughout the western U.S. The installations have potential mixed technology capability of greater than 33 GW. Officers additionally stated practically 200 functions for photo voltaic and wind improvement are in preliminary evaluate, together with 95 functions for photo voltaic and wind power web site space testing.
The BLM this week is anticipated to announce the Discover of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impression Assertion for the Cross-Tie 500-kV Transmission Undertaking proposed in Beaver, Juab, and Millard counties in Utah, and Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine counties in Nevada. The company additionally this week will announce that development has been authorised for 500-kV gen-tie transmission line crossing public lands about 60 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. That line will assist the supply of photo voltaic power from the 150-MW Harquahala Solar set up in Maricopa County, Arizona.
The company additionally this week has stated it is going to maintain a aggressive geothermal lease sale in Nevada. The BLM stated 45 parcels will likely be provided on the market, totaling greater than 135,000 acres throughout 12 counties within the state.
The company final week introduced a plan for seven photo voltaic initiatives, with as much as 5.3 GW of mixed technology capability, in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The Esmeralda 7 set up can be sited on practically 119,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands.
“The Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to increasing clear power improvement to deal with local weather change, improve America’s power safety and create good-paying union jobs. The initiatives we’re advancing at the moment will add sufficient clear power to the grid to energy thousands and thousands of houses,” stated Haaland throughout her Nov. 6 assembly with governors. “By means of historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Inside Division helps construct trendy, resilient local weather infrastructure that protects our communities from the worsening impacts of local weather change.”
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
