Heavy electrical transmission lines at the powerful Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, located in California’s Mojave Desert at the foot of Clark Mountain and south of the state community on Interstate 15, are seen on July 15, 2022, near Primm, Nevada. The Ivanpah system consists of three solar thermal plants and 173,500 heliostats (mirrors) on 3,500 acres and has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW).
George Rose | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management said this week it has advanced two transmission projects proposed by NV Energy that would facilitate the development and supply of renewable energy in Nevada.
The agency will begin an environmental review of the Greenlink North project, which will include more than 450 miles to connect Las Vegas to Reno, and issue a draft environmental impact statement for the Greenlink West transmission project, which will cover 232 miles from Ely to Yerington.
When completed, the projects will connect eight gigawatts of clean energy to the Western power grid. The plans would support the Biden administration’s goal of deploying 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands and waters by 2025 and achieving a zero-carbon energy sector by 2035.
The announcement comes as Congress debates Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va. the introduction of measures earlier this month accelerate the permitting of fossil fuel and renewable energy projects.
Transmission projects include the expansion of high-voltage lines that carry renewable energy to populated areas and will play a critical role in accelerating the transition to clean energy while meeting growing energy demand.
The BLM aims to finalize proposed documents and produce a record of decision for the Greenlink West project by the end of 2024. It will also release draft environmental planning documents for the Greenlink North project for public comment later this year.
“Our public lands play a critical role in the clean energy transition,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement.
The agency said it has approved 35 clean energy projects over the past few years, including solar, geothermal and gene installations, which are expected to generate 8,160 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 2.6 million homes.
Some projects include the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project in New Mexico and construction approval for California’s Sunlight Storage II Battery Storage System. The agency is also reviewing projects such as the Star Range Solar Project in Utah and the Bonanza Solar Project in Nevada.
