Following the BLM announcements about the projects, conservation group Basin and Range Watch raised concerns about desert tortoises in the area.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued the final environmental impact statement and resource management plan amendment for the proposed Copper Rays Solar Project in Nye County last week.
According to its description, the project is located southeast of Pahrump and 40 miles west of Las Vegas, on about 4,414 acres of public land in Nye County managed by BLM.
“The electricity generated from the project would be collected at the onsite substation and conveyed to the existing Gamebird substation located northwest of the project site via a generation gen-tie transmission line,” reads the project description. “Construction for the facilities is estimated to take approximately 54 months over two phases.”
If approved, Copper Rays Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leeward Renewable Energy LLC, could develop an energy facility with integrated battery storage and interconnection to the regional electric transmission system, states the Aug. 21 BLM announcement.
Bonanza Solar Project
BLM also issued the final environmental impact statement and the proposed resource management plan for the Bonanza Solar Project on Aug. 21.
Approximately 5,133 acres of public lands managed by BLM in both Nye and Clark counties, 30 miles northwest of Las Vegas and five miles west of Indian Springs are in the application area, the project description states.
The proposed development from applicant Bonanza Solar LLC, a subsidiary of EDF Power Solutions includes construction, operation and decommissioning of a proposed 300 MW solar energy project including battery energy storage and interconnection to the regional transmission system, according to the description.
Environmental concerns
Basin and Range Watch, a nonprofit conservation organization, also issued a press release on Aug. 21 critiquing both the Copper Rays Solar Project and the Bonanza Solar Project.
“Large-scale solar projects in Southern Nevada are effectively playing a role in pushing the imperiled desert tortoise toward extinction,” Basin and Range Watch Co-Founder Kevin Emmerich said in a statement. “Each project takes out a significant chunk of crucial habitat for the species. The solar projects are playing a significant role in turning our diverse deserts into sacrifice zones. We should be considering brownfields and old mine sites for solar panels before we lose more habitat.”
Basin and Range Watch says both projects will impact rare plants, fossil beds, archaeology sites and over 6,000 acres of vital Mojave Desert tortoise habitat.
The conservation organization further states in the press release that the Pahrump Valley, where the Copper Rays Solar Project will be built, is a habitat that holds viable breeding populations of desert tortoises.
Basin and Range Watch describes the Indian Springs Valley, where the Bonanza Solar Project will be constructed, as a crucial desert tortoise connectivity corridor in Nevada.
“Connectivity links populations in different locations and maintains genetic diversity and viability,” the release reads.
Basin and Range Watch also claims that both projects will be visible for miles and use up groundwater.
Public input
Last week’s BLM notices opened a 30-day protest period for both projects that will end on Sept. 21. Protest instructions can be found at tinyurl.com/3fpzmkw5.
For more information about the Copper Rays Solar Project, visit tinyurl.com/2p8yb8fv.
Additional details about the Bonanza Solar Project can be viewed at tinyurl.com/3236jnnm.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
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