This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 03, 2013

Interior Department Approves a 500-MW Wind Project in Arizona

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced on June 28 that it has approved a 500-megawatt (MW) wind energy project in Arizona. The Mohave County Wind Farm will be located on federal lands in northwestern Arizona, about 40 miles northwest of Kingman. Proposed by BP Wind Energy North America, Inc., the wind farm will consist of up to 243 wind turbines. The decision paves the way for right-of-way grants for the use of approximately 37,800 acres of federal land, while providing a 1.2-mile buffer zone to protect nearby nesting locations for golden eagles and assuring that no turbine will be erected within a quarter-mile of private property. See the DOI fact sheet and map of the proposed project.

DOI has approved 46 wind, solar, and geothermal utility-scale projects on public lands since 2009, including associated transmission corridors and infrastructure to connect to established power grids. When built, these projects could provide enough electricity to power more than 4.4 million homes and support more than 17,000 construction and operations jobs. DOI's Bureau of Land Management has identified 14 additional renewable energy proposals that are slated for review this year and next. See the DOI press release.