Last week, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar approved two major solar projects, a major wind project and a power transmission project, for transmitting electricity across land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). With his approval, the projects have a final, smaller hurdle left to clear. Meanwhile the department said it would start analyzing new solar land set-aside projects and issue a supplement to the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development (Draft Solar PEIS), which spans solar projects on federal lands in six states.

The approved projects included Abengoa Mojave Solar Project, a 250-megawatt concentrating solar trough project in California; Imperial Solar Energy Center—South Project, a 200-megawatt photovoltaic installation in California; West Butte WInd Energy Project, a 104-megawatt wind project in Oregon; and Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 Transmission Line Project, a 500-kilovolt transmission line project, which will bring renewable energy in to Palm Springs and Romoland, Calif. All energy projects are built on private land, but like the transmission line project, they cross onto land maintained by the BLM.

The projects are now one small hurdle away from breaking ground, according to BLM spokesperson David Quick.

“The next step is an issuance of notice to proceed,” he said, meaning, there are likely some small issues that need to be clarified before the projects can break ground.

Such clarifications could include finalized plans for how the projects will protect endangered species, for instance.

“We’re not expecting controversy,” he said. “The projects are on private land.”

At the same time, DOI said it would issue a supplement to the PEIS, which specified areas specifically set aside for development of large-scale solar projects on federally managed lands. No new lands will be added to the PEIS.

“There will probably be less land involved [in the supplement],” Quick said.

The BLM also is launching analysis of three other projects: The California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which strives to both protect species in California and build on the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones identified by Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI); The West Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area in California, a reevaluation of a 1980 study on land in the mountain range; and The Arizona Restoration Design Energy Project, which was developed by BLM’s office in Arizona to offer more disturbed lands up for solar, while protecting more pristine areas.

Pictured: The Abengoa Mojave Solar Project, courtesy of the BLM.