The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on proposed Esmerelda 7 Solar Projects near Tonopah Nevada.
The proposal includes seven projects, potentially generating up to 5.3 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to powering four million households. Six different companies propose these projects, according to the Bureau of Land Management's Nov. 6 press release. The initiatives consist of the Esmeralda Energy Center Project by Boulevard Associates LLC, Gold Dust Solar Project by Gold Dust Solar LLC, Lone Mountain Solar Project by Lone Mountain Solar LLC, Nivloc Energy Project by Nivloc Solar LLC, Red Ridge 1 and 2 Projects by 335ES 8me LLC and 336SP 8me LLC respectively, and Smoky Valley Solar Project by CG Western Renewables III LLC.
In Jul., the Bureau of Land Management Tonopah Field Office initiated a two-year segregation process for over 118,600 acres involved in the Esmeralda Solar projects. This period commenced on July 27, according to a Jul.26 press release from the Bureau of Land Management. Segregation allows agencies sufficient time for comprehensive investigations into these projects and determines appropriate rights-of-way.
According to the Esmeralda Solar Project Description document, the project features "an approximately one-mile-long 525 kilovolt tie-in line that would extend for an on-site project substation through BLM land to NV Energy’s proposed Esmeralda substation." This proposed project is situated on the North side of Silver Peak and Ryholite Ridge Northeast in Nevada. It lies west of Highway 265, six miles north of Silver Peak and six miles south of U.S Route 95/U.S Route6.
This set of projects includes a proposal to modify the Tonopah Resource Management Plan and prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement assessing potential impacts on air quality, fauna, water sources, land condition as well as visual alterations to the region. The Environmental Impact Statement will also evaluate "cultural, Native American, socioeconomic, and environmental justice interests," according to the BLM's Nov. 6 press release.
