The Gemini Solar + Storage project will power homes throughout Nevada and eventually extend into California and Arizona. 

November 16, 2022

Contact Information
FPISC Press Office (media@fpisc.gov)   
 

WASHINGTON (November 16, 2022)- The U.S. Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) recently joined with project sponsors, the Moapa Band of Paiutes and partners from state and Federal agencies to celebrate the Gemini Solar + Storage project. Projected to generate enough reliable clean energy to power 400,000 homes during super peak periods, this FAST-41 covered project will play a major role in realizing President Biden’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050. 

“The Permitting Council is excited to celebrate the Gemini Solar + Storage project coming to fruition,” says Christine Harada, Permitting Council Executive Director. “This project is the definition of the kind of once-in-a-generation infrastructure that President Biden envisioned when he signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Council could not be prouder to see a FAST-41 project on the cusp of making such a monumental leap on our path to the clean energy future.”

The $1.2 billion Gemini Solar + Storage project was first posted to the FAST-41 permitting timetable in July of 2018 and officially completed environmental review and permitting in June of 2020. The 690 MW of photovoltaic solar and 380 MW of battery energy storage project is projected to be a game-changer in the west, with the capacity to power homes throughout the state of Nevada and in subsequent stages extending into California and Arizona. Located approximately 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas, the project is being developed by Primergy Solar on Federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). 

“Together with our partners from industry, government, Tribal and the local community, we’ve charted a path that leads to our low-carbon future,” said Ty Daul, Chief Executive Officer at Primergy. “The Gemini Solar + Storage Project is one of the most complex projects ever developed and we are grateful to work with Federal Agencies who were able to efficiently permit the project through the Fast 41 program in record time.”

“Gemini Solar is an excellent example of the coordination and collaboration happening with renewable energy here in Nevada. The 690 Megawatts + battery storage will contribute to the nation’s goal of producing 25 Gigawatts by 2025,” said Jon Raby, BLM Nevada State Director. “We are also excited about the economic opportunities this project will provide for our local communities - including our tribal partners who will have an opportunity to learn new skills and have dependable employment in an ever-expanding industry that is growing locally and across Nevada.” 

The Gemini Solar + Storage project is being developed on the ancestral lands of the Moapa Band of Paiutes (MBOP) and in close coordination with MBOP. The MBOP has been integrated in several aspects of the project including early coordination with BLM and Gemini Solar to determine any possible sensitive cultural and historic resources that could be impacted by the project. MBOP has partnered with Gemini Solar by providing water and access to the site through bordering MBOP lands, along with construction and cultural resources expertise. Tribal members are working as equipment operators and biological and cultural monitors throughout construction. This level of coordination with Tribes is a cornerstone in the FAST-41 process and will serve as a model for future projects. 

The Gemini Solar + Storage Project will be commissioned in 2023. 

For more information on the Permitting Council, visit the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council website.
 

About the Permitting Council

Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council is a unique Federal agency charged with improving the transparency and predictability of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects. The Permitting Council is comprised of the Permitting Council Executive Director, who serves as the Council Chair; 13 Federal agency Council members (including deputy secretary-level designees of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Army, Commerce, Interior, Energy, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation); and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The Permitting Council coordinates Federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the renewable or conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors. 
 

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