Interior Dept. Sets 25 GW Renewable Goal, Moves to Speed Deployment

By Christian Roselund

On 1 June, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a goal to deploy 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands by 2025 alongside measures to ease deployment on these lands. The latter includes an average 50% reduction of rents and fees for wind and solar development as well as the establishment of renewable energy coordination offices.

Through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Department of the Interior controls 2.8 million square kilometers of land, almost exclusively west of the Great Plains. This land largely comprises deserts, mountains, rangeland, and other areas that are not suitable for farming or commercial forestry. And while much of this land has excellent wind and solar resources, it is often far from population centers and transmission lines.

As part of the changes, BLM will implement a standardized megawatt fee that it says will incentivize more efficient wind and solar and hybrid projects. It will also establish state renewable coordination offices in Arizona, California, and Nevada, as well as a regional office in Utah and a national office. BLM says these offices will help reach the goal of processing an increasing number of applications for wind and solar projects, while enabling robust environmental compliance.

In 2021, BLM permitted 2.89 gigawatts of wind and solar projects on public lands. The agency has identified 4.59 gigawatts of wind and solar as priority projects in 2022, 6.63 gigawatts in 2023, and 13.52 gigawatts in 2024.

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Source: Department of the Interior Announces Steps to Increase Clean Energy Development on Public Lands (U.S. Department of the Interior)