The Bureau of Land Management sold 60 parcels covering nearly 187,000 acres, with Ormat Technologies the biggest bidder and a land-use overlap with NextEra’s planned solar project drawing attention.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sold geothermal leases on 60 parcels of federal land in Nevada on Tuesday, bringing in nearly $4.83 million for 186,641 acres. The sale was smaller in dollar terms than recent geothermal auctions, but it also exposed a land-use question that could matter for one of the state’s proposed solar projects.
How the Sale Compares With Recent Auctions?
The result fell short of earlier geothermal lease sales. BLM’s 2025 Nevada sale brought in total receipts of around $9.4 million. June’s geothermal lease auction in New Mexico raised $16.5 million, which was the second-highest-grossing sale in BLM history.
Acreage also dropped. In 2025, BLM sold roughly 280,000 lease acres in Nevada, while this year’s auction sold nearly 187,000 acres.
Where the Parcels Are and Who Bid?
According to BLM, the parcels sit in Lyon, Churchill, Mineral, Humboldt, Esmeralda, Lander, Nye, Eureka, Lincoln and White Pine counties.
Ormat Technologies was the largest bidder on Tuesday. It spent around $2.3 million to win eight parcels covering about 20,263 acres.
What Happened to the Rest of the Parcels?
BLM originally marked 83 parcels for sale. No parcels were pulled because of protests, but 10 were removed “for other reasons,” the agency said. The remaining 13 parcels drew no bids, leaving the 60 that sold.
The Overlap With NextEra’s Sawtooth Project
The sale included two parcels that overlap the site of NextEra Energy’s proposed 1-GW Sawtooth Energy Center solar project. Both went to United Minerals and Mining for about $15,400 each.
NextEra has a pending right-of-way grant application for Sawtooth’s proposed location in Nye County. During the comment period, the company asked BLM to “remove, defer, or reconfigure” three overlapping parcels during final parcel review. Its reasoning was to avoid creating a potentially incompatible leasehold interest before BLM finishes reviewing the Sawtooth application.
BLM rejected that request in its response, saying it “manages the land for multiple use.” One of the three overlapping parcels did not end up in Tuesday’s auction.
What BLM Told NextEra?
In its reply, BLM said later authorizations for other uses, including rights of way, must not unreasonably interfere with geothermal operations run by the lease holder. Because the parcels would be leased before any decision on NextEra’s right-of-way, the agency said, NextEra must work with any potential lessee and adjust its operations to avoid land-use conflicts.
NextEra did not respond to a request for comment.
What to Watch Next?
The lease sale does not by itself mean geothermal development or solar construction is imminent. The two parcels now held by United Minerals and Mining sit within the footprint of a pending solar application, so how the lessee, NextEra and BLM handle that overlap will be worth following as the Sawtooth review continues.
