Two Nevada solar projects put on federal fast track

WASHINGTON - Two solar projects planned on federal and tribal lands in Clark County are being put on a fast track as part of the Obama administration's latest push behind green energy in the West.

Bureaucrats will devote fresh attention to the Moapa Solar Energy Center, a proposed 200-megawatt plant on 2,000 acres of the Moapa River Indian Reservation, the White House plans to announce on today.

Also being expedited is the 350-megawatt Silver State South project planned on 13,043 acres near Primm.

White House officials said Monday deadlines have been set to complete environmental and safety studies and to issue permits for each of the projects. A target of March 2013 is being eyed for the Primm facility, while permits for the solar plant being pursued by the Moapa Band of Paiutes will be issued by December 2013.

Officials said the push responds to a directive issued by President Barack Obama in March ordering agencies to identify nationally or regionally significant projects and move them forward.

Besides the two solar projects in Nevada, five other solar and wind projects in California, Arizona and Wyoming also are being expedited, according to the White House.

The Moapa Solar Energy Center, which would generate 100 megawatts with solar panels and another 100 megawatts using concentrated solar technology, would be one of the first large-scale projects on Indian land.

The Silver State South project is companion to the 50-megawatt Silver State North facility that was completed and dedicated in May, making it the first solar project on public lands to deliver power for transmission.

The announcement on solar was part of a multi-front effort by the Obama administration Monday to spotlight its work on green energy in the West.

A $105 million federal loan guarantee announced by the Department of Agriculture will propel construction of a trash-to-energy biofuels plant in Storey County, 20 miles east of Reno.

A memo signed by top administration officials commits the Interior and Defense departments to start more clean energy projects on lands controlled by the military.

As a first step, that agreement will seek to develop solar power generators at Fort Irwin, Calif., and at the Yuma Proving Ground and Barry M. Goldwater Range, both of which are in Arizona.

The announcements coincide with the fifth annual National Clean Energy Summit hosted by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and being held today at the Bellagio.

Also today, Reid and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will tout the completion of the Spring Valley Wind project about 30 miles east of Ely, according to Interior spokesmen. The 150-megawatt plant is the first wind energy complex completed on federal land in the state.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.eviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.