Two massive solar plants proposed for Washoe's Pyramid Lake area

A Colorado renewable energy developer is looking to build two massive utility-scale solar projects east of Reno.

Boulder-based Scout Clean Energy has submitted applications to build 2,000 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar across a mix of public and private land southeast of Pyramid Lake and east of Nixon.  

According to the power and data center tracker Cleanview, the projects would dwarf the 690 MW Gemini Project that went into service in Clark County in 2024, making them the largest utility-scale solar producers in the state.

The Juniper Peak project is proposed for the Little Valley along the western flank of the Truckee Range, southeast of Pyramid Lake and north of Interstate 80. It would include 1,000 MW of solar and a matching battery storage system on a parcel of land spanning Washoe, Churchill and Lyon counties. The nearly 17,700-acre site is roughly 9,700 acres of private land and nearly 8,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land (BLM).

The solar fields and battery storage would be in Washoe County, while the overhead tie-in line would travel through Washoe, Churchill and Lyon counties.

The Amber Flats Solar Farm would also be a 1,000 MW project, with accompanying battery storage, on 17,100 acres — roughly 8,900 acres of private land and 8,200 acres of public land. The project would be sited in North Valley, again on the eastern side of the Truckee Range southeast of Pyramid Lake.

Amber Flat's solar fields would be in Churchill County, but the tie-in line would run through Washoe, Churchill and Lyon counties.

Both projects are listed as having target operational dates of 2030.

"The Project[s] would not have any adverse effects on the health, safety, or welfare of Nevada residents, but would instead provide economic benefits, including jobs and revenue, to the State of Nevada and Nevada's residents," according to documents filed by the applicant with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada. "Because the Project[s] would be owned by the Applicant, which is not a public utility in Nevada and whose costs of the Project would not be passed down to Nevada's ratepayers, this proceeding would have no effect on Nevada consumers."

Kevin Emmerich, co-founder of conservation nonprofit Basin and Range Watch, criticized the project, saying it would affect native species such as the Greater sage grouse, consume excessive amounts of water and create a heat island effect.  

"The projects are so large, they would geoengineer the landscape and fundamentally change the natural processes that have shaped the area," he said.

Scout's website says the company has 1,600 MW of renewable projects in operation and under construction and that it has a "pipeline of over 19,000 MW of wind, solar and storage projects across 25 states," including 188 MW of solar in Clark County under development.  

Scout representatives did not respond to an interview request by the time of publication.

Kris Cheney, Scout's chief development officer, told The Nevada Independent via email that the company is "not planning to comment on these projects at this time."