The U.S. Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) introduced the company has permitted the 600-MW Jove Photo voltaic Venture, sited on about 3,500 acres of land in La Paz County, Arizona. The photo voltaic farm can be among the many high 5 largest photo voltaic power tasks within the U.S., primarily based on these presently in operation.
The BLM Jan. 6 mentioned the set up, situated about 30 miles west of Tonopah, additionally might embody a battery power storage system. The challenge would connect with the 500-kV Cielo Azul switching station and Ten West Hyperlink transmission line; the Ten West line runs from southern California to central Arizona. The company mentioned it expects the challenge will come on-line in 2027.
The BLM mentioned its permitted building plan will keep away from any constructing in a desert wash that crosses the challenge. The company mentioned that may protect the channel floodplain, preserve present wildlife habitat connectivity, and avoids areas which have been deemed environmentally delicate. The BLM’s approval means Jove Photo voltaic could have a 30-year right-of-way grant for the ability.
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“BLM helps environment friendly growth of unpolluted power on our nation’s public lands to maneuver towards a carbon pollution-free energy sector,” mentioned Ray Castro, BLM Yuma Subject Supervisor. The company mentioned Jove Photo voltaic will embody 3,495 acres of public lands, and 38 acres of county lands.
“We are going to proceed to interact with Tribal, federal, state, and native governments, native communities, stakeholder teams, and trade as this challenge strikes towards building,” mentioned Castro.
The BLM mentioned that since January 2021 the company has permitted 46 renewable power tasks on public lands, together with 12 photo voltaic, 14 geothermal, two wind, and 18 technology tie-ins. So-called “gen-ties” are transmission strains that cross public lands to attach renewable power tasks developed on non-public lands to the grid.
The group mentioned it already has permitted 34 GW of unpolluted power tasks in complete on public lands, surpassing its objective to allow at the least 25 GW of renewable power in its territory by 2025. The group additionally mentioned that as of November 2024, it has permitted 70 geothermal, 63 photo voltaic, 41 wind, and 42 renewable power gen-tie tasks.
The company final yr issued a remaining Renewable Vitality Rule that it mentioned would decrease client power prices and the price of growing photo voltaic and wind tasks. The rule additionally goals to enhance challenge utility processes, create jobs, and incentivize builders to proceed responsibly growing photo voltaic and wind tasks on public lands.
The BLM manages greater than 245 million acres of public land situated primarily in 12 western states, together with Alaska. The BLM additionally administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral property all through the nation.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
