The proposed Blue Mountain Solar and Storage Project in Humboldt County, Nevada, is moving through the county’s land-use review process with plans for a solar generation facility and battery energy storage system near the existing Blue Mountain geothermal operation.
VESI 11 LLC, represented by Jessica Mowry, has submitted two conditional-use permit applications covering separate areas near the intersection of Jungo Road and Blue Mountain Road. The Humboldt County Regional Planning Commission is considering the applications as UH-26-15 and UH-26-16.
The commission’s October 8, 2026, meeting includes consideration of the two applications. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time in Winnemucca.
The permitting action represents an important step for the proposed development, but it does not by itself authorize construction. Additional approvals would be required before the project could move into construction.
Proposed 35 MW solar facility with battery storage
County planning materials describe a proposed 35 MWac photovoltaic facility paired with a 25 MW/140 MWh battery energy storage system.
The northern permit area covers approximately 158 acres, while the southern area covers approximately 155 acres. Together, the two applications cover roughly 313 acres, although the county is reviewing them as separate conditional-use applications.
The project materials indicate that the solar generation would support the auxiliary electricity requirements of the nearby Blue Mountain geothermal operation.
The capacity figures require careful treatment because the same 35 MWac solar and 25 MW/140 MWh battery figures appear in materials associated with both applications. The available records do not establish that the figures should be added together.
As a result, the project should not be described as a 70 MW solar facility or a 280 MWh battery project without further confirmation from the applicant or county.
Two sites form the proposed development
Application UH-26-15 covers approximately 158 acres northeast of the Jungo Road and Blue Mountain Road intersection.
Application UH-26-16 covers approximately 155 acres southeast of the intersection and includes portions of assessor parcels 05-0421-06 and 05-0357-01.
Although the county is reviewing the applications separately, both form part of the broader Blue Mountain Solar and Storage development.
The separate permitting process means each site could receive its own conditions governing issues such as access, drainage, equipment placement, battery safety and other site-specific requirements.
Project would sit alongside geothermal generation
The proposed solar and storage facilities would be located near the existing Blue Mountain geothermal facility, creating a broader renewable-energy cluster in Humboldt County.
The geothermal facility is a 20 MW plant owned by Ormat Technologies. Ormat acquired the facility from Cyrq Energy in 2025 and has disclosed plans to increase its generating capacity.
The proposed solar project would support the geothermal facility’s auxiliary electricity needs, according to the project materials.
That proposed relationship gives the solar-and-storage development a specific operating purpose rather than positioning it solely as a standalone power project supplying electricity to the broader market.
Battery system adds storage and safety requirements
The proposed project includes a 25 MW/140 MWh battery energy storage system.
The storage component could allow electricity generated by the solar facility to remain available beyond periods of direct solar production while providing additional flexibility for the energy needs associated with the geothermal operation.
Battery storage also introduces additional permitting and safety considerations. County materials contemplate further review of electrical equipment, battery systems, foundations and fire and life-safety requirements as the project progresses.
Those requirements mean the conditional-use decision would represent one stage of a longer approval process rather than the final authorization for the facility.
Construction has not yet begun
The project remains in the permitting stage, and the October 8 conditional-use review does not constitute a construction start.
Project materials for the northern site estimate approximately 80 construction workers and a construction period of about one year. Those figures are estimates associated with the proposal and do not establish an approved construction schedule.
The developer would still need to satisfy applicable building, electrical, fire, engineering and other requirements before construction could proceed.
No definitive construction start date has been established through the October 8 land-use review.
Access will require additional coordination
The project documents identify access from Jungo Road and Blue Mountain Road and reference a Bureau of Land Management right-of-way.
The county’s conditional-use decision therefore would not automatically resolve every authorization associated with access or other infrastructure. Separate federal, utility or agency requirements may remain applicable as the project advances.
That distinction is important for the project’s schedule because land-use approval does not necessarily constitute approval for every component required to build and operate a utility-scale energy facility.
What the October 8 review means for the project
The Humboldt County Regional Planning Commission’s consideration of the two conditional-use applications represents the next major land-use milestone for the Blue Mountain Solar and Storage Project.
The commission could approve the applications, approve them with conditions, postpone consideration or deny them. Whatever action the county takes, additional project-level approvals would remain relevant before construction could begin.
The development’s proposed combination of solar generation and battery storage, together with its proximity to an existing geothermal facility, makes the project notable within Humboldt County’s expanding renewable-energy sector.
The project remains a proposed solar-and-storage development advancing through county permitting, with its final configuration, additional approvals and construction schedule still to be determined.
The Blue Mountain project reflects an earlier stage of the development cycle, with its proposed solar and battery facilities still moving through local permitting review. In Arizona, that process has already progressed much further for ContourGlobal’s Project Sterling, where the company has now marked the start of construction on a 509 MWp solar facility paired with 360 MW of battery storage.
Blue Mountain Solar and Storage Project Factsheet
- Project: Blue Mountain Solar and Storage Project
- Location: Humboldt County, Nevada
- Applicant: VESI 11 LLC
- Applicant representative: Jessica Mowry
- Permitting authority: Humboldt County Regional Planning Commission
- Permit applications: UH-26-15 and UH-26-16
- Northern permit area: Approximately 158 acres
- Southern permit area: Approximately 155 acres
- Combined permit areas: Approximately 313 acres
- Proposed solar capacity: 35 MWac
- Proposed battery storage: 25 MW / 140 MWh
- Nearby facility: Blue Mountain geothermal facility
- Geothermal facility capacity: 20 MW
- Proposed purpose: Solar generation and battery storage to support the geothermal operation’s auxiliary electricity requirements
- October 8, 2026 milestone: Regional Planning Commission consideration of the two conditional-use applications
- Construction status: Not yet authorized
- Estimated construction workforce: Approximately 80 workers for the northern site
- Estimated construction period: Approximately one year, according to project estimates
- Primary access: Jungo Road and Blue Mountain Road
- Federal access issue: Project materials reference a Bureau of Land Management right-of-way
- Outstanding issue: Conflicting panel-count figures in the northern application
- Current status: Proposed project undergoing county land-use and permitting review
Leave a Reply