Las Vegas -The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today sought competitive bids to develop solar energy projects on up to approximately 3,083 acres of public land in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone (SEZ), located 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Parcel Number
Size
Minimum Bid
Successful Bid
Successful Bidder
One
712.2
$14,462
$780,000
Invenergy Solar Development, LLC
Two
222.8
$4,524
$880,000
First Solar Development, LLC
Three
758.7
$15,406
$1,320,000
First Solar Development, LLC
Four
729.0
$14,803
$1,460,000
First Solar Development, LLC
Five
507.7
$10,309
$1,175,000
NV Energy
Six
152.7
$3,101
$220,000
NV Energy
The process of selecting developers has several stages. Interested parties must first bid for the opportunity to apply for a Right-of-Way (ROW) to develop a solar power generating facility. Once the high bidders have been selected, they must then apply for their ROW. Successful high bidders must submit their bid and an administrative fee within 10 calendar days. They also must submit a ROW application and plan of development within 180 days of the auction. The winning bid does not automatically result in a ROW authorization. The BLM will conduct subsequent environmental analysis while processing individual ROW applications of the successful high bidders for the specific parcels.
The BLM’s auction announcement comes after a two-year planning effort between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy to pave the way for utility-scale solar energy development on the public lands. The Western Solar Plan, approved in October 2012, created 17 Solar Energy Zones with access to existing or planned transmission, incentives for development within those zones and a process for considering additional zones. The competitive bidding process is required for new solar development applications in Solar Energy Zones.
For more information about the competitive bid process, please contact: Greg Helseth, Renewable Energy Project Manager, at 702-515-5173, or ghelseth@blm.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
