Feds cancel review of Vegas-sized solar farm in Nevada desert
Plans to build a major solar farm slated for the Nevada desert appear to have been canceled as federal officials shift priorities surrounding the nation’s energy generation.
The environmental review for Esmeralda 7, a linked group of seven solar projects that would have rivaled the city of Las Vegas in size at 185 square miles, has been listed as canceled on the Bureau of Land Management’s website since Thursday. Instead, each individual company must resubmit federal documents separately, BLM spokesperson Kristen Peters said in an email statement.
“During routine discussions prior to the lapse in appropriations, the proponents and BLM agreed to change their approach for the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada,” Peters said. “Instead of pursuing a programmatic level environmental analysis, the applicants will now have the option to submit individual project proposals to the BLM to more effectively analyze potential impacts.”
The “lapse in appropriations” refers to the ongoing federal government shutdown caused by Congress failing to deliver an agreement that would fund government agencies like the BLM.
According to BLM estimates, the massive solar project would have produced up to 6.2 gigawatts of energy, or enough to power about 2 million homes. Its proposed location was Esmeralda County, Nevada’s most sparsely populated county, which is roughly halfway between Las Vegas and Reno and home to fewer than 1,000 people.
‘A welcome relief’
President Donald Trump and his Interior secretary, Doug Burgum, have taken a hard-line stance against solar and wind projects, with the president claiming on social media that the feds would no longer approve them. Trump’s administration has instead placed a focus on “energy dominance,” with promises to revive fossil-fuel-burning energy industries such as coal.
Kevin Emmerich, of the advocacy group Basin and Range Watch, called the decision about the solar farm a win. He and others sued the BLM in May for failing to consider Esmeralda 7 in its environmental review of Greenlink West, a 472-mile, multibillion-dollar NV Energy transmission line from Las Vegas to the Reno area, meant to transmit energy from rural areas to Nevada’s urban centers.
“The E7 projects would have destroyed significant archeology sites, rare plants, bighorn sheep habitat and wilderness quality lands,” Emmerich said in a statement. “This news is a welcome relief and gives hope that the area could be protected for the long term in the future.”
NextEra Energy Resources, one of the major solar developers associated with the projects, said in a Friday statement that it is committed to pursuing its project’s comprehensive environmental analysis. Two others, Leeward Energy Resources and Invenergy, declined to comment when reached Friday, while other developers didn’t respond to requests for comment.
NV Energy spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said the utility is moving ahead with construction of the Greenlink transmission line.
Ted Kelly, director and lead counsel for clean energy at the advocacy-oriented nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement that the decision to cancel the review for Esmeralda 7 reflects the priorities of the administration.
He pointed to Washington Post reporting that showed officials are helping oil, gas and coal projects get priority in federal permitting.
“This is yet another example of how the Trump administration is taking a two-tiered approach to energy permitting: polluting, expensive fossil fuels get ‘concierge, white glove service,’ while cheap renewables and storage get freezes, delays and cancellations,” Kelly said.
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.