The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday auctioned four parcels in the Amargosa Desert in southern Nevada for solar development, raising a record-breaking $105 million.
The four Amargosa Desert parcels, totaling 23,675 acres, could support nearly 3 GW of renewable energy, the Department of the Interior said in a release. The $105 million auction was the highest-yielding onshore renewable energy auction in BLM history.
“This record-breaking auction for solar energy development is further evidence that the demand for clean energy has never been greater,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “The technological advances, increased interest, cost effectiveness, and tremendous economic potential make these projects a reliable path for diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio.”
NV Energy was the provisional winner for leases of two parcels within the Amargosa Valley Solar Energy Zone. The company bid $35.25 million for the 3,775-acre Parcel A and $46.6 million for the 3,451-acre Parcel B.
BLM auctioned two other parcels outside of the solar energy zone.
Boulevard Associates LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, placed the high bid of $21 million for 10,129 acres known as Parcel 1. Silver Star Solar I LLC, a subsidiary of Leeward Renewable Energy, had the high bid of $2.3 million for the 6,320-acre Parcel 2.
As the provisional preferred applicants for Parcel 1 and Parcel 2, Boulevard Associates and Silver Star Solar have secured rights to submit solar energy development proposals for the land. Right-of-way applications are due within 30 days, followed by development plans within 60 days. BLM will review the proposals before approving further project development.
Greenlink Influence
Solar energy zones are the BLM’s preferred areas for utility-scale solar energy development. Solar energy zone locations were chosen based on their low potential for conflict with natural and cultural resources and other land uses.
BLM said last year that interest had surged in the Amargosa Valley Solar Energy Zone due to NV Energy’s proposed Greenlink West, a roughly 350-mile transmission line that will be built nearby. (See FERC Approves Greenlink Nevada Incentives.)
In addition to interest in land within the Amargosa Valley Solar Energy Zone, BLM received 15 applications within a year for utility-scale solar developments in the Amargosa Desert outside of the solar energy zone. The BLM described the area as having “many resource constraints.”
At the same time, BLM weighed the administration’s priority of permitting 25 GW of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands by 2025. Working with other agencies, BLM developed a strategy for leasing Amargosa Desert land.
According to the Interior Department, BLM is processing 74 proposals for utility-scale clean energy projects on public lands in the Western U.S. The projects, which include solar, wind and geothermal development as well as gen-tie lines, could potentially add more than 37,000 MW of renewable energy to the Western grid.
Another 150 applications for solar and wind projects are under preliminary BLM review.
