The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved the first phase of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) that will enable certain renewable energy development to take place on public lands in the California desert.
The renewable energy and conservation planning effort covers 10.8 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the California desert.
Phase one is part of a larger plan, where the State of California will provide a blueprint for about 22 million acres public and private land in the desert region in the state to streamline energy development.
Plan includes conserving ecosystems and offering outdoor recreation opportunities.
The department noted that the lands identified for the renewable energy projects have the capacity to generate about 27GW of renewable energy.
This amount of electricity is enough to power more than 8 million homes in US and help meet clean energy targets of both federal and state governments.
US DOI Secretary Sally Jewell said “Today we celebrate the culmination of more than eight years of thoughtful planning, deep collaboration and extensive public engagement to guide future management of 10 million acres of California desert that belong to all Americans.
“This landscape-level plan will support streamlined renewable energy development in the right places while protecting sensitive ecosystems, preserving important cultural heritage and supporting outdoor recreation opportunities.”
The Bureau of Land Management will be responsible for identifying priority areas for the renewable energy plan and will also set aside millions of acres for conservation and outdoor recreation.
The plan will designate and segregate locations based on their potential for wind, solar and geothermal potential and access transmission in low conflict areas.
Applications for energy development plans will have the benefit of streamlined permitted process, predictable survey requirements and simplified mitigation measures.
The DOI is also considering to provide financial incentives for projects which will be located in the identified areas.
California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas said: “Renewable energy is a key part of California’s approach to addressing climate change, and large scale renewable energy projects in the California desert will play an essential role in California meeting climate and renewable energy goals.
“The DRECP provides a clear pathway for projects on public lands, while giving the state much greater certainty about where those projects could be located.”