Fast track permitting for 31 renewables projects on public land

January 4, 2010

The list of projects set for fast track permits includes some large solar power proposals

The Bureau of Land Management is focusing their efforts on 31 renewable energy projects proposed for public land, which should be permitted before next year’s deadline for federal recovery funding

December 2010 marks the end of funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the BLM has now “guaranteed” that the projects that have met certain milestones will now be permitted in time.

The 31 projects include 14 solar, 7 wind, 3 geothermal, and 7 transmission, ranging in size from 24 megawatts (MW) up to 984MW.

They will now be “fast-tracked” in order to meet next December’s deadline.

Bureau Director Bob Abbey said: “The fast-track process is about focusing our staff and resources on the most promising renewable energy projects, not about cutting corners, especially when it comes to environmental analyses or opportunities for public participation.”

Among the 14 large solar power projects are nine proposed for California, including the 984MW Blythe project being developed by Chevron Energy Services and Solar Millennium in Riverside County, as well as the 850MW Solar One project proposed by Stirling Energy Services for San Bernardino County.

The seven wind projects on the fast-track list include the 200MW Searchlight wind farm proposed by Duke Energy for Clark County, Nevada, as well as the 200MW Tule wind project from Spanish-owned renewable energy developers Iberdrola Renewables proposed for San Diego, California.

Transmission projects on the list include the 523-mile Southwest Intertie Project, a 500 kV AC transmission line stretching between Idaho and southern Nevada.

Bureau

Part of the US Department of the Interior, the Bureau manages 253 million acres of public land – more than any other federal agency.

It has identified nearly 23 million acres of public land as having “solar energy potential” within six states in the Southwest, along with more than 20 million acres of land with wind energy potential in 11 western states.

Various work is already being carried out on environmental impact studies with the aim of making the permitting process more efficient.

The Bureau is establishing a network of regional offices, called Renewable Energy Coordination Offices, to focus its resources on the processing of wind, solar and geothermal energy applications.

It has already set up offices in California, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming.