This $1.1 billion solar project will be the eighth largest PV plant in the world and provide 690MW of power to Nevada. This controversial project is being developed by Arevia Power and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and serving NV Energy.
The Gemini solar project has been in the works for about a year, but was finally approved after much controversy. The U.S Department of the Interior approved the project on May 11th, making it the largest solar plant in the United States. It will also be the eighth largest solar project in the world at 690 MW of solar capacity and 380 MW of battery storage, which seems to follow the new trend of large energy storage. NV Energy and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners signed a power purchase agreement and partnered with Arevia Power to bring this $1.1 billion project to reality.
This project will offset 385,000 metric tons of CO2 while producing $3 million of annual revenue for the US Treasury according to the Interior Department. It will also be working to achieve Nevada’s requirement of fifty percent renewable energy by 2030. The power purchase agreement ensures that the energy will stay in Nevada for the next twenty-five years.
Arevia Power was founded in 2015 as a California-based subsidiary of SunEdison alums. They focus on utility-scale solar projects and their team, led by Ricardo Graf and Mark Boyadjian, has developed over 900MW of capacity since 2008. Arevia Power manages the sites for the entirety of the project life cycle into their operation. Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners is a specialist investment manager dedicated to renewable energy investment and asset management in the US, UK and Australia. These companies are making this project possible and their agreement with NV Energy, which is part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, will facilitate the distribution of this power throughout Nevada.
Although this project shows progress for the renewable industry, it has not come without setbacks. The Trump administration made strides to broaden energy development on federal lands which worried many environmentalists. This project located in Clark County, Nevada on up to 7,100 acres of land will be affecting the habitat of endangered or threatened species including the desert tortoise, kit fox and burrowing owl. Some of these animals will be relocated during the construction of this project, which can be very risky. These controversies led to the long process of acquiring all of the necessary permits to begin this ambitious endeavor on these public lands.
On the other side, this could be very beneficial to help kickstart the economy.
“This action is about getting Americans back to work, strengthening communities and promoting investment in American energy.â€
Casey Hammond; the principal deputy assistant secretary at the DOI
Overall the project will create about 900 construction jobs and support 1,100 jobs in the area during its production. Arevia stated in April that the project was on track to be completed by 2022 despite the pandemic. The Gemini plant will deliver low cost renewable energy for years to come and is one of the first large solar endeavors of its kind since the recent change of the energy policy regarding public lands.
