Two California solar projects have the green light from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The Arica and Victory Pass solar projects are located on federally owned land in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Combined they could generate up to 465 MW of power and up to 400 MW of battery storage.
The Bureau’s approval allows developer Clearway Energy Group to construct, operate and maintain the two separate PV solar facilities. These are the first projects to be built within areas identified for renewable energy development as part of the bureau’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. The plan is focused on more than ten million acres of public lands in seven California counties.
“Investing in clean and reliable renewable energy represents the BLM’s commitment for addressing climate change and supports Congress’ direction in the Energy Act of 2020 to permit 25 gigawatts of solar, wind, and geothermal production on public lands no later than 2025,”said Bureau Director Tracy Stone-Manning.
The U.S. Interior Department issued a call this week to nominate land for development within “solar energy zones” in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico that combined cover about 140 square miles.
The invitation to developers comes as the Biden administration is promoting wind and solar projects on public lands and offshore to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet.
More on the Arica Pass project here.
More on the Victory Pass project here.
