BLM seeks public comment on Jove Solar Project in Arizona
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LA PAZ COUNTY, Ariz. — The Bureau of Land Management invites the public to review and provide comment on the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Jove Solar Project located in La Paz County, in an area that experiences frequent clear skies, contains high solar resources, and has access to electric transmission. The project would produce up to 600 megawatts of clean electricity — enough to power roughly 180,000 homes, according to the EPA Calculator.
Jove Solar LLC has requested a 30-year right-of-way grant to construct, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission a utility-scale facility and potential battery energy storage system on 3,495 acres of public and 38 acres of county lands. The project would connect to the Cielo Azul 500-kilovolt (kV) switching station and Ten West Link 500-kV transmission line.
“The BLM supports efficient development of renewable energy on our nation’s public lands to reach the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035,” said Ray Castro, BLM Yuma Field Manager. “We will continue to engage with Tribal, federal, state, and local governments, local communities, stakeholder groups, and industry as we evaluate this project.”
A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register to begin a 45-day public comment period. Project information is available at the BLM National NEPA Register where comments may be submitted via the “Participate Now” option (preferred) by June 3, 2024. Comments may also be submitted to BLM_AZ_CRD_Solar@blm.gov or delivered to BLM Yuma Field Office, Attn: Jove Solar Draft EIS – Public Comment, 7341 E 30th St., Suite A, Yuma, AZ 85365-6525.
The public is invited to attend a virtual public meeting on May 14, 2024, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Instructions on how to join the virtual meeting are provided on the Project’s ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510. For further information, or to request reasonable accommodations for the public meetings, please contact Rem Hawes at rhawes@blm.gov or 602-417-9219.
The BLM manages vast stretches of public lands that have the potential to make significant contributions to the nation’s renewable energy portfolio. To promote our clean energy goals, the BLM provides sites for environmentally sound development of renewable energy on public lands. These efforts to deploy renewable energy from our nation’s public lands support the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.
The BLM is currently processing 65 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands in the western United States. This includes solar, wind, and geothermal projects, as well as interconnected gen-tie lines that are vital to clean energy projects proposed on non-federal land. These projects have the combined potential to add 32,518 megawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid. The BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of over 193 applications for solar and wind development, as well as 99 applications for wind and solar energy testing.
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.