3 solar projects approved for federal land in Clark County

WASHINGTON — Three companies looking to generate electricity from solar energy on federal land in Clark County received final government approval Monday following fast-track reviews.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell signed formal paperwork for the projects to be built within a 5,700-acre Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone near the junction of Interstate 15 and U.S. Highway 93 at Apex, about 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

The projects:

— A 134-megawatt Harry Allen Solar Energy Center. The arrays of photovoltaic plates within 715 acres is being planned by Invenergy Solar Development.

— A solar photovoltaic facility of up to 200 megawatts on about 1,700 acres to be built by Playa Solar LLC, a subsidiary of First Solar

— An NVEnergy plant called the Dry Lake Solar Energy Center would generate 150 megawatts on 660 acres.

Combined the electricity generated by the three projects could power 132,000 homes, according to Interior officials. The sites were auctioned for development in June 2014 and raised $5.8 million. Interior officials said 1,900 jobs would be generated during construction.

The Dry Lake area is one of five “solar energy zones” designated in Nevada and 19 in six Western states. As part of an Obama administration push for renewable energy on public lands, millions of acres were evaluated in advance to identify areas that could provide the greatest development potential while minimizing harmful impacts.

The resulting solar zones were designated in 2013 to draw private sector interest and to expedite their specific plans.

The advance work enabled bureaucrats to cut the time required to review and approve project permits from 18-24 months to about 10 months, officials said.

“Through thoughtful planning and upfront public participation, these solar projects demonstrate we can reduce permitting times, create certainty for energy developers, and achieve better outcomes for communities and the environment,” Jewell said in a statement.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the projects will cement Nevada as “the capital of clean energy.”

“This progress did not happen by accident,” he said, citing federal and state policies that have moved Nevada away from coal-generated electricity as well as investments by companies like SolarCity, Tesla and Ormat.

“No state in the union has the opportunity that we have,” Reid said. “Clean energy is Nevada’s future.”

Contact Steve Tetreault at stetreault@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC