The Trump administration is poised this year to do what congressional Democrats and other critics of the president's "energy dominance" campaign have been demanding for months: advance large-scale renewable energy projects on federal lands.
By summer, the Bureau of Land Management plans to have issued records of decision (RODs) approving five commercial-scale solar and wind projects, as well as a major proposal to open 21,000 acres in Southern California for geothermal energy leasing, according to a BLM state-by-state priority project list obtained by E&E News.
The priority list includes target dates to issue final approvals for the Haiwee Geothermal Leasing Area, which would offer more than 21,000 acres in California for utility-scale geothermal power development. BLM has estimated that the proposed leasing area could spur $1 billion in investment in geothermal power projects capable of producing enough electricity to power about 117,000 homes. An ROD is expected in February.
From the Global Geothermal News archives.........