US Department of Interior continues renewables expansion on public land

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The DOI also saw over 400MW of new solar capacity come online on its lands in California. Credit: Leeward Renewable Energy

The US Department Of the Interior (DOI) has granted permits to over 25GW of renewable energy capacity on public lands, a milestone originally earmarked by the Biden administration for 2025.

As of last week, the DOI has approved over 29GW of solar, wind and geothermal generation capacity on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a body contained within the DOI, said that it is currently processing permits for a further 66 utility-scale clean energy projects.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The DOI and BLM are responsible for administering federal land, which the US government owns on behalf of the public. This responsibility extends to the availability, permitting and approval of infrastructure projects on these lands, like renewable energy resources.

To this end, the DOI also announced an update to its Renewable Energy Rule, which it said is designed to “promote the development of solar and wind energy on public lands”. The updated rule will “reduce capacity fees for these projects by 80% and facilitate development in priority areas by streamlining application review”, the DOI said.

Reduced rents and permitting times would deliver “greater certainty for the private sector” to invest on public lands, it continued.

Currently, the BLM is able to accept leasing applications for projects without needing to issue a formal, competitive tender.

In January this year, the DOI expanded its Western Solar Plan in a move that it said opened up 22 million acres for potential solar development. The plan now covers federal lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

The expanded plan built on its ongoing development of 15 renewable energy projects across the Western US, including two solar PV and energy storage projects in California.

In last week’s announcement, the BLM confirmed that it had overseen the commissioning of two more solar and storage projects in California, representing 465MW of generation capacity and 400MW of battery storage. The Arica and Victory Pass projects initially underwent public review in 2021.

Both Victory Pass and Arica were developed and built by Clearway Energy Group.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

September 17, 2025
Nexamp has secured US$350 million through a long-term financing facility to expand its 6GW utility-scale solar and battery storage pipeline in the US. 
September 17, 2025
The California State Legislature has passed two bills that aim to reduce energy prices in the state, AB 825 and SB 302.
September 17, 2025
QatarEnergy has signed an EPC agreement with Samsung C&T for its 2GW Dukhan project. 
September 16, 2025
Sunotec has launched Sunotec Nordic to spearhead solar and hybrid renewable project development across the Nordic region.
Premium
September 16, 2025
At RE+, industry leaders pointed to the resilience of the US solar sector, despite challenges brought by the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' Act.
September 16, 2025
IB Solar is investing INR30 billion (US$340 million) in a 4GW TOPCon solar cell and module manufacturing plant in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA