The Bureau of Land Management will initiate environmental review of the Townsite Solar 2 Project right-of-way in its effort to continue processing the project’s application.
Skylar Energy Resources LLC, applied to the Bureau of Land Management’s Las Vegas Field Office for a right-of-way grant for the construction and operation of the Townsite Solar 2 Project, a project input summary report said.
“After careful consideration of the application evaluation, the BLM has determined it will continue processing the application and proceed with initiation of the National Environmental Policy Act process,” Acting Las Vegas Field Office Manager Coreen Francis said in a Dec. 9 news release.
Located in Clark County, Nev., on approximately 80 acres of land administered by the bureau, the Townsite Solar 2 Project would accomplish several things: a 19-megawatt solar photovoltaic power generating facility, battery energy storage system and a 34.5 kilovolt interconnection line to the Western Area Power Administration substation at Townsite Solar 1, the release reported.
Approval to proceed with the application comes after the bureau received public input and coordinated with certain appropriate federal, state and local agencies and Tribes, the release said. The bureau hosted a virtual public information forum Sept. 1.
“Input we receive provides critical information to support BLM’s review as we decide how to move forward with this right-of-way application to ensure that we can help meet the nation’s needs for renewable energy while we continue to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of public lands.” Las Vegas Field Office manager Shonna Dooman said in an Aug. 12 news release about the virtual forum.
Construction of the Townsite Solar 2 Project will take approximately 12 months, and include several components, the summary report said.
“The Townsite Solar 2 Project would include installation of solar array blocks consisting of PV (photovoltaic) modules that convert solar energy into direct current (DC) electricity that would be collected and converted to alternating current (AC) electricity through Power Conversion Stations (PCSs) containing inverters and medium voltage transformers housed on concrete pads,” the report said.
