PHOENIX-The US Department of Interior, through a Record of Decision (ROD), recently designated 192,100 acres of public land throughout Arizona as potentially suitable for utility-scale solar- and wind-energy development.  The project, known as the Restoration Design Energy Project (RDEP), is the conclusion of a three-year, state-wide environmental analysis of areas that could accommodate commercial renewable energy projects.

The areas selected generally require "reasonable access" to transmission lines and load centers, and need to be located near areas that have high electricity demand. The identified areas are within five miles of a transmission line or designated transmission corridor, as well as being close to cities, towns or industrial centers.

Furthermore, the ROD establishes 2,550 acres near Dateland, in western Arizona, as the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone, one of 18 in the nation and the third such zone in the state.  The national Solar Programmatic ROD established the idea of SEZs as potential sites for utility scale solar development.

“This project is a key milestone in our work to spur smart development of solar and wind energy on public lands across the West,” notes Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in a prepared statement. “Arizona has huge potential when it comes to building a clean energy economy, and this landscape-level plan lays a solid foundation for making sure that it happens in the right way and in the right places.”

For more information, log on here or onto to the Bureau of Land Management's website.