(The Center Square) – Federal regulators have provided early approval of a hydropower megaproject in Nevada, despite local government officials’ opposition.
The proposed Desert Bloom Project, which is a dam system, would reportedly generate power for around 110,000 Nevada homes. The dam would also use a vast amount of water, which has led some to oppose the move.
“Southern Nevada has invested decades of work into reducing water use and stretching limited Colorado River resources,” said Bronson Mack, Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesperson, answering The Center Square’s question by email. “A project that will consume approximately 10,000 acre‑feet (about 3 billion gallons) of water simply does not align with Southern Nevada’s conservation goals. The priority is safeguarding community water supplies through efficient water use — not expanding large-scale water consumption.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a preliminary permit to the Desert Bloom Energy Storage company in March to explore the possibility of the project. Located in Clark County, the dam would be on public land on the desert mountain outskirts of Las Vegas.
The FERC did not respond to a request for comment by The Center Square.
The proposal detailed the creation of two reservoirs with a combined capacity for 9,800 acre-feet of water. The closed-loop pump storage dam system would reportedly generate 1,170 gigawatt-hours – enough to power roughly 110,000 homes, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates. No determination was made on what “yet-to-be-determined source” would provide the water.
While the project could help relieve a statewide energy strain NV Energy has forecast with the boom in data centers, it also comes as Western states grapple with an unprecedented strain on water supplies.
The Colorado River has faced a decades-long drought and year-over-year overuse, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Despite this, Las Vegas has become known as a model of efficient water usage among Western states. Roughly 40% of water used in the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s jurisdiction, including Las Vegas, is recycled and put back into the Colorado River, according to the SNWA.
The FERC’s preliminary approval for the Desert Bloom dam project did not allow for any construction, digging or disruptions to the ground.
A similar project was approved in 1996 but never came to fruition. Similar plans were proposed in 2017 and 2024, with the issue of limited water supplies regularly coming up over the years.
