The Trump Administration Approved the Largest Solar Installation in U.S. History, by a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Subsidiary’s 690-megawatt Project just North of Las Vegas, NV, will be built East of Interstate 15 along the Road to Valley of Fire State Park.
When finished, NV Energy’s estimated $1 billion Gemini Solar Project is set to become the Eighth-largest Solar Power Facility in the World, spanning some 7,100 acres, 2873 hectares, of Federal Land and generating enough Electricity to Power 260,000 Homes in the Region. The Current Record for a Solar Plant is 579 megawatts.
The Interior Department has estimated as many as 900 Workers could be involved at any given time during Construction. Developers aim to build the Project in Two Phases over roughly 28 months, with the First portion coming Online in early 2021 and Final Facility Completion as early as 2022.
In addition to Generating Electricity from Photovoltaic Solar Panels, the Project, about 30 miles Northeast of Las Vegas, also is slated to include a large, 380 megawatt Battery Storage system capable of holding Solar Power Generated during the day for Deployment in Early Evenings, when Demand Peaks.
Although it will Generate Electricity for NV Energy Companies, Gemini is set to be Built by Arevia Power. NV Energy and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners signed a Power Purchase Agreement Approved by Nevada Regulators in December 2019. Warren Buffett is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the Parent Company of NV Energy.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Approval comes despite President Trump’s Criticism of Renewable Energy. His Administration has moved methodically to Advance several Solar Projects on Federal Lands, as State Clean Energy Targets propel a New Wave of Renewable Development in the Sun-Drenched Southwest U.S.
The Interior Department said the Project is slated to Generate more than $3 million in Annual Revenue for the U.S. Treasury.
Gemini is the First of the Three Projects to receive State and Federal Approval.
The Arrow Canyon Solar Project, a 200-megawatt Solar Plant with a 75-megawatt Battery Storage system, is Proposed for Construction 20 miles Northeast of Las Vegas on the Moapa Band of Paiutes Indian Reservation.
The Southern Bighorn Solar & Storage Center, a 300-megawatt Solar Array with a 135-megawatt Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System is set to be Built on the Moapa River Indian Reservation about 30 miles north of Las Vegas.
All Three Projects would bring NV Energy closer to complying with Senate Bill 358, Signed last year by Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), which Requires Nevada Energy Providers to get at least Half of their Energy from Renewable Resources by 2030.
The Approval comes at an apt time, when the COVID-19 Pandemic has left many Nevadans Out-of-Work and put an Extensive Drain on the Economy. The Project’s On-Site Construction Work Force is expected to average 500 to 700 People, with a peak of up to 900 Workers during the First phase. Officials hope the Project will create up to 1,100 Jobs and Inject an estimated $712.5 million into the Economy during Construction, healing some of the Financial Hurt caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Renewable Energy Generated by the Solar Plant could also Offset the Annual Greenhouse Emissions of 83,000 Vehicles, and Stipulations in the Department’s Approval include Construction Methods that will be less harmful to Local Wildlife.
But some Scientists have Warned that Disruptions during Gemini’s Construction could Imperil the Mojave Desert Tortoise, a Reptile that is Protected as a “threatened” Animal under the Endangered Species Act. Some 200,000 of the Tortoises remain in the wild. Concerns also have been raised about Visual Impacts to a nearby Historic site, including an Old Railroad Camp and Trade Routes.
Surveyors estimated nearly 300 Tortoises live within the Area designated for Construction, and those Tortoises will need to be Removed before Construction and then Reintroduced.
Nevada-based Environmental Group Basin and Range Watch has Spoken Out against the Proposed Development, and has begun Compiling “before” Pictures of the Area in advance of Construction. The Group has insisted that the Project is too Large and too Close to Vulnerable Wildlife areas. But rather than Bulldozing the Area to make room for Solar Panels, the Bureau of Land Management and Department of the Interior specified a “hybrid alternative” that involves Trimming Vegetation instead of Removing it. “Extensive long-term monitoring will be required, in addition to possible adaptation of methods used to reduce potential impacts to desert tortoise,” the Department said.
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