Feds: Massive Nevada solar project could still move forward with different approach
Developers of individual solar systems that comprise Esmeralda 7, a Vegas-sized utility project, plan to continue after feds request separate reviews.
Amy Alonzo
October 14th, 2025
The massive, Las Vegas-sized Esmeralda 7 solar project planned for Esmeralda County is still viable but is moving forward with a different approach, the Department of Interior (DOI) confirmed Tuesday to The Nevada Independent.
Project proponents and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) “agreed to change their approach,” according to a Tuesday statement from the DOI, the agency that oversees the BLM. “The BLM did not cancel the project.”
Those comments come after a BLM website reflected last week that the environmental review had been canceled, and BLM officials — unavailable on account of the government shutdown — could not be reached for explanation. The listing prompted widespread speculation that the entire project had been scrapped, but some individual developers behind the project say they are still committed to developing utility-scale solar in central Nevada.
Some say the federal move is detrimental to grid-scale energy development.
“We need more power on the grid, fast, and the solar and storage industry is ready to provide it, but we need the administration to get serious about truly achieving American energy dominance,” Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), previously told The Nevada Independent in an email.
thenevadaindependent.com |
