The Trump Administration will likely soon approve a massive new solar panel farm here in Nevada. The farm will be located about 25 or so miles northeast of Las Vegas, near the intersection of I-15 and U.S. 93. 8 News Now spoke with energy experts to break down how this will impact Southern Nevadans.
About a half-hour outside of Las Vegas, there are already several solar panels. If the Gemini Project is approved and built in the area, it will become the largest solar farm in the United States.
The project is expected to transform the terrain into a 7,000-acre solar farm, and experts predict a bright future ahead.
“Hopefully create jobs, more economic development and opportunity and also help tackle one of the most important issues we can be working on right now, which is climate change,” said Andy Maggi, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League.
The project is being developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in collaboration with Arevia Power. Nevada Energy is buying the electricity. They say it “brings the environmental and price benefits of low-cost solar energy to our customers. And, the addition of energy storage capabilities allows us to extend the benefits of renewable energy to times when the sun is not shining.”
“All these add up to a recipe where we’re going to see a lot of development of clean, renewable energy here in Nevada,” noted Maggi.
The Bureau of Land Management has to approve the plan. A spokesperson told 8 News Now the phase they’re in right now is the 30-day protest period. Some have voiced concerns about how it will impact animals in the area, such as desert tortoises, bighorn sheep and migratory birds.
“I know that this project is looking at how it can do it in the most environmentally mitigative way,” said Maggi.
The BLM says a decision is expected in about 90 days.
