BLM to hold public meetings mid-January for proposed 600 MW Jove Solar facility

The Bureau of Land Management will hold two public meetings for public comments on the Jove Solar Project, a proposed 600 MWac utility-scale solar project in southern La Paz County, Arizona.

The two meetings will take place:

• Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 5 to 7 p.m. at Tonopah Valley High School, Tonopah, AZ.
• Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on a virtual online meeting (*A link to register for the online meeting will be provided on the ePlanning website below in the coming days)

174 Power Global, a Hanwha Energy USA Holdings affiliate, has requested a 30-year right-of-way grant to construct and operate the utility-scale solar project located on federal lands about 85 miles west of Phoenix. The project developer submitted a right-of-way application in October 2019 when the project was known as Taurus Solar, and subsequently changed the name of the project in August 2022.

The Jove Solar Project will be situated on 3,495 acres of public lands managed by the BLM and 38 acres of La Paz County land. The power facility would connect into the regional transmission system via the planned and approved Cielo Azul 500-kilovolt switching station and Ten West Link 500 kV transmission line, whose construction is pending.

The solar project’s location was selected based on numerous factors, especially the area’s frequent clear skies, high solar resource, and access to electric transmission.

On December 7, 2022, the BLM Yuma Field Office published a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement to analyze the potential environmental effects of Jove Solar. The notice initiated formal scoping and a two-year mineral segregation.

To promote clean energy goals, the BLM provides sites for environmentally sound development of renewable energy on public lands. These efforts support the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, as well as Congress’ direction in the Energy Act of 2020 to permit 25 GW of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands through 2025.

Project information including maps and an online commenting tool may be accessed on the project’s ePlanning website.

Written comments will be taken through February 1 by email at: BLM_AZ_CRD_Solar@blm.gov or via the ePlanning website link above. Letters may be sent to:BLM Yuma Field Office, Attn: Jove Solar EIS – Public Comment, 7341 E 30th St., Suite A, Yuma, AZ 85365-6525

On December 5 the BLM announced new plans to refine and speed up the development of renewable energy in its southwest region, as it aims to deploy 25 GWac of capacity by 2025. BLM also said it would begin reviewing three facilities in Arizona totaling 1 GWac, including Jove Solar (600 MWac).

BLM said they are expanding on their “programmatic” process to move renewable projects through the development process that was produced in 2012.

The other two Arizona solar facilities –300 MWac Pinyon Solar project in Maricopa County owned by Avantus (formerly 8 Minute Solar Energy), and 300 MWac Elisabeth Solar  in Yuma County – are also in the early stages of development.