Nevada’s largest solar + BESS project has secured approval from the US Interior Department
Libra Solar Project with 700 MW solar and 700 MW BESS will be one among the largest solar + storage projects in the country
The BLM has also invited public consultation for a 300 MW solar and storage project proposed by EDF Renewables in Las Vegas
The US Department of the Interior has given its seal of approval to 2 projects that it says will unlock up to 4.7 GW of clean energy in the country. One of these is touted to be the largest solar-plus-battery energy storage system (BESS) in Nevada, and one among the largest such projects in the US.
The Libra Solar Project is expected to have an installed solar PV capacity of up to 700 MW AC, accompanied by a BESS of 700 MW/2.8 GWh/day capacity. It will be situated on close to 5,778 acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Mineral County of Nevada. Solar modules will be deployed on single-axis horizontal trackers.
Proposed by utility-scale solar and wind developer Arevia Power, the Libra project is expected to generate 1,948,000 MWh when it is commissioned by the end of 2027. It values the project at over $2.3 billion. Arevia announced a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the facility with local Nevada utility NV Energy.
The other project cleared by the department is the Greenlink West Transmission Project, which will create new transmission lines and facilities across states to transmit up to 4 GW of clean energy.
Additionally, the department has also invited public comments on the Bonanza Solar Project with 300 MW PV capacity. This EDF Renewables project is proposed to be located on close to 5,133 acres of public lands in Clark and Nye Counties, near Las Vegas.
The 90-day public comment period was launched on September 6, 2024, and will end on December 5, 2024. Details are available on BLM’s website.
Under the Joe Biden-led administration, the BLM has approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands to date, and is currently processing another 55 utility-scale projects across the West. Earlier this year, it surpassed the goal of permitting 25 GW of clean energy capacity on public lands by 2025 (see BLM Updates Western Solar Plan To Make Way For More).
In September 2024, the BLM proposed to open 31 million acres more of federal land for utility-scale solar energy projects (see North America Solar PV News Snippets: Boosting US’ Vertical Solar PV Manufacturing At RE+ & More).
In July 2024, Primergy Solar commissioned the country’s largest co-located solar + BESS project in Clark County, Nevada with 690 MW solar and 380 MW storage capacity (see North America PV News Snippets: US’ Largest Co-Located Solar & Storage Project & More).