The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is progressing nine solar projects on public lands in Nevada and Arizona, including the 5.35-GW Esmeralda 7 proposal near Tonopah, which covers seven solar facilities with battery storage. The BLM is opening a 45-day public comment period on the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Esmerlda 7, which will serve as the basis for environmental analyses of each project. The final environmental impact statement for the Libra solar project in Nevada will include 700 MW of solar capacity, a 700-MW battery, and a 24-mile-long generation tie-line. The projects together could power nearly 2 million homes, aligning with President Biden’s goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
