BLM announces Desert Sunlight battery storage facility is fully operational
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — In another step towards achieving a clean energy future and meeting the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035, the Bureau of Land Management is announcing that the 230-megawatt Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System is now fully operational. The project is on 94 acres of BLM-managed public lands near Desert Center in Riverside County.
“Battery storage systems like this one play an important role in meeting energy demands and increasing energy security,” said Karen Mouritsen, BLM California State Director. “The BLM remains committed to investing in clean and reliable renewable energy projects to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The project provides 230 megawatts of energy storage and increase grid integration of renewable electricity produced by the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm. This battery energy storage project will help relieve the demand on the electrical grid by storing renewable energy generated from the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and allow for consistent energy delivery during peak hours when the system may not be generating energy.
The battery storage system is in an area analyzed and identified as suitable for renewable energy development as part of BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Land Use Plan Amendment. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is a landscape-level plan focused on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities. To approve these sites for renewable energy projects, the Department of the Interior and the BLM work with Tribal governments, local communities, state regulators, industry, and other federal agencies.
In 2021, Sunlight Solar LLC received authorization from the BLM to construct the Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System within the Desert Sunlight Solar facilities. Additional information is available on ePlanning here: https://bit.ly/3oSjZ5P.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.