Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
The Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is advancing nine solar projects on public lands, which could potentially power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. These projects align with President Biden’s objective of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.
Today's actions follow the Department’s April announcement that the BLM has permitted over 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects, surpassing a significant milestone ahead of 2025. This capacity includes solar, wind, and geothermal projects, as well as gen-tie lines essential for connecting clean electricity projects to the grid.
“The Interior Department is playing a pivotal role in helping tackle the climate crisis, boost the clean energy economy and provide communities across the nation with clean, reliable energy,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus. “With today’s advancement of nine solar energy projects on public lands, we are taking a significant step towards these efforts and President Biden’s ambitious clean energy goals.”
“The Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to sustainable development means that we are protecting our natural and cultural resources while moving quickly towards our nation’s clean energy goals,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “As we continue to review clean energy projects, we are committed to collaborating with states, Tribes and stakeholders to ensure that we are building lasting opportunities to create jobs and stimulate the clean energy economy."
Key among today's progress is Esmeralda 7, which includes seven proposed utility-scale solar facilities with battery energy storage systems on approximately 118,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands near Tonopah, Nevada. The BLM is opening a 45-day public comment period on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Esmeralda 7. If all proposed projects are approved, they would generate 5.35 gigawatts of clean electricity – enough to power roughly 1.6 million homes.
The BLM also published the final environmental impact statement for the proposed Libra Solar Project in Mineral and Lyon Counties, Nevada. If approved, Libra Solar would include a 700 megawatt (MW) solar energy facility, a 700 MW battery energy storage system, and a generation tie-line spanning 24 miles. The project aims to generate and store enough clean energy to power more than 212,000 homes.
Additionally, the BLM is opening a 30-day public comment period on a draft environmental assessment for Elisabeth Solar Project near Dateland, Arizona. Located on 1,400 acres approximately 65 miles east of Yuma within the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone, this project could produce up to 270 MW of clean electricity and up to 300 MW of battery storage if approved.
As of July 2024, an additional seventy utility-scale clean energy projects are being processed by BLM throughout the Western United States. These projects have the potential to produce almost thirty-two gigawatts of renewable energy. Furthermore, BLM has begun preliminary reviews for approximately one hundred sixty-six applications for solar and wind development along with over forty applications for site testing.
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