The US Department of Energy (DOE) has embarked on a pioneering initiative to transform sites once dedicated to the nuclear weapons program into solar farms, marking a significant step towards clean energy production.
Under negotiations with two developers, the DOE is set to lease portions of the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site in Idaho Falls for the construction of solar farms, aiming to generate 400 megawatts (MW) of solar power – sufficient to power 70,000 homes.
These developments represent the inaugural projects of the DOE's Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, introduced in July 2023. The initiative envisions repurposing federal land previously associated with the US nuclear weapons program into sites for clean energy production, with the INL site as the first beneficiary, despite never having been part of the nuclear weapons program.
In a statement, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the collaborative effort behind the initiative, stating, “Working closely with community leaders and private sector partners, we're cleaning up land once used in our nuclear deterrence programs and deploying the clean energy solutions we need to help save the planet and strengthen our energy independence.”
The DOE is currently in discussions with NorthRenew Energy Partners and Spitfire, both developers, for the establishment of solar farms at the INL site.
NorthRenew Energy, based in Becket, Massachusetts, is slated to construct a 300 MW solar farm alongside battery storage on approximately 2,000 acres of INL land. Concurrently, Spitfire is anticipated to erect a 100 MW solar farm with battery storage on 500 acres of INL land. No definitive timeline has been provided by the DOE for these projects.
The Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative is set to progress with DOE-issued requests for qualifications (RFQs) to lease land at four additional sites: the Hanford site in Washington; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico; the Nevada National Security Site in Nevada; and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Further site selections are expected to be announced by the DOE later in 2024.
