Key facts
- Geothermal lease sale includes thousands of acres overlapping planned solar projects.
- NextEra Energy's Sawtooth project overlaps with about 60% of its planned area.
- Leeward Renewable Energy's Lone Mountain project overlaps with about 735 acres.
- The BLM stated that if a solar project is approved first, it has senior rights.
The U.S. Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management is set to auction geothermal leases in Nevada that overlap with planned solar projects, including those from NextEra Energy and Leeward Renewable Energy. NextEra had requested the removal or reconfiguration of certain parcels, citing potential conflicts with its 1,000-megawatt Sawtooth Energy Center, but the BLM declined, stating federal lands are managed for multiple uses. Maps indicate significant overlaps, though one parcel entirely overlapping NextEra's project was removed from the auction. The BLM noted that if a solar project is approved first, it would have senior rights over geothermal development.