US Dept of Interior denies canceling largest solar project after axing review
a day ago
- #environmental-policy
- #renewable-energy
- #solar-energy
- The U.S. Department of the Interior canceled the broad environmental review for the 6.2-GW Esmeralda 7 solar project in Nevada.
- The project will now be reviewed and permitted individually for its seven constituent solar projects.
- Esmeralda 7 is set to be the largest solar project in the U.S. by capacity.
- Developers include Invenergy, Avantus, and NextEra, with pending right-of-way applications before the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
- The original timeline estimated construction could take 18 to 36 months per project, with full buildout within 5 years.
- The Environmental Defense Fund criticized the decision, calling it part of a biased approach favoring fossil fuels over renewables.
- The Trump administration has been scrutinizing renewable energy projects on federal land, including revoking approvals for offshore wind projects.