DOE Selects NextEra Energy for Large-Scale Solar Project at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

DOE selects solar-powered project at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, furthering the effort of clean electricity generation on DOE-owned land and helping to reach the nation's ambitious climate goals

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected NextEra Energy Resources Development LLC to enter realty negotiations for a carbon-pollution-free electricity generation project at DOE's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as part of the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative.

NextEra Energy Resources Development LLC will have the opportunity to negotiate a realty agreement to deploy at least 150 megawatts of carbon pollution-free electricity to the grid with a 100-megawatt storage system on up to 1,800 acres of land at WIPP.

President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14057 in December 2021, which calls on agencies to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030 and directs them to authorize use of their real property assets, including land for the development of new clean electricity generation and storage through leases, grants, permits or other mechanisms. As the leading federal agency on clean energy research and development, DOE has both a unique opportunity and a clear responsibility to lead by example and identify creative solutions to achieve the president's goal.

Since announcing the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative in July last year, DOE has issued six requests for qualifications to lease land at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina; Hanford Site in Washington; WIPP; Nevada National Security Site in Nevada; and Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho.

As of today, DOE has announced the developer selection at all Cleanup to Clean Energy sites.

"President Biden directed the federal government to use its scale and procurement power, as the nation's largest energy consumer and land manager, to support the growth of America's clean energy industry and clean energy jobs and do so in ways that are good for our taxpayers and our communities," said Andrew Mayock, federal chief sustainability officer in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Through DOE's Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, we will spur new clean electricity production, which is good for our climate, our economy and our national security."  

The DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) is committed to supporting the nation's climate goals and combating climate change through clean energy production on its sites, said EM Senior Advisor Candice Robertson.

"We are excited about this large-scale solar and energy storage project moving forward at the WIPP site," Carlsbad Field Office Site Manager Mark Bollinger said. "This project will help the site achieve its sustainability goals and will bring jobs and innovation to the state of New Mexico."

DOE will continue to engage and partner with industry, tribal nations, communities, stakeholders, regulators and others to implement a process for further development of clean energy projects on DOE-owned land.

More information on Cleanup to Clean Energy can be found here.

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