(Reuters) – The Biden administration said on Wednesday it raised $105 million from solar power developers at a lease auction covering 23,675 acres of Nevada desert this week, making it the highest-yielding federal onshore renewable energy auction to date.
NV Energy Inc led the Tuesday auction with more than $80 million in high bids for two parcels in the Amargosa Valley Solar Energy Zone, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
NextEra Energy (NYSE:) Resources subsidiary Boulevard Associates, and Leeward Renewable Energy subsidiary Silver Star Solar picked up the remaining two parcels, with winning bids of $21 million and $2.3 million, respectively, BLM said.
“This record-breaking auction for solar energy development is further evidence that the demand for clean energy has never been greater,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a press release about the auction.
The Interior Department said it expects the leases to eventually yield 3 gigawatts of power to the grid.
The administration of President Joe Biden is seeking to expand renewable energy development on federal lands as part of a multi-pronged effort to fight climate change.
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