The US Department of Interior has approved three solar projects on public lands in Riverside County, California.
The US Department of Interior has approved three solar projects on public lands in Riverside County, California.
The projects will generate roughly one gigawatt of power and are the first approved under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) in the desert regions of seven California counties.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects, paving the way for construction of photovoltaic solar projects that will generate a total of up to 465 megawatts of electricity with up to 400 megawatts of battery storage. Together, these renewable energy projects will result in an estimated combined infrastructure investment of $689 million.
It was also expected to approve the Oberon solar project, a 500-megawatt photovoltaic solar project on 2700 acres of public lands that could generate up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy and power nearly 142,000 homes.
Finally, the BLM is soliciting interest in utility-scale solar energy development on nearly 90,000 acres of public land located across Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. It is the agency’s largest project for solar development interest since it designated 17 solar energy zones in 201.
The Arica, Victory Pass and Oberon solar projects are within areas identified as suitable for renewable energy development as part of the DRECP, which focuses on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties. The plan aims to streamline renewable energy development while conserving desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities.
The BLM is currently processing 54 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands in the western US. This includes 40 solar projects, 4 wind projects, 4 geothermal projects, and 6 interconnect gen-tie. The 54 projects have the potential to add more than 27,500 megawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid.
The BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of 64 applications for solar and wind development, as well as 47 applications for wind and solar energy testing.
