CASPER — A proposed 2,010-acre solar farm and battery storage facility on private farm land has received the green light from the Natrona County Planning Commission.

The commission voted 3-1 to approve the development 30 kilometers northwest of Casper at its meeting Tuesday.

Members Hal Hutchinson, Sabrina Kemper and Robert Grant voted in favor of the request from EG Haystack Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Enfinity Global, while Chad McNutt voted against.

EG Haystack’s plan is to build a 199 megawatt utility-scale solar generation system with 100 MW of battery storage on site.

While two people spoke in favor of the plan, some citizens spoke against it.

“Given what we’ve heard, I have a hard time seeing the benefits of this project given the cost,” McNutt said. “It doesn’t seem like it has a huge benefit.”

Hutchinson said he understands some of the environmental and wildlife concerns previously expressed by residents. But planning rules and regulations allow a solar farm on Natrona County land zoned for rural, agriculture and mining.

He also said the development would be on private, not public, land.

“We have a property owner who wants to do something with their property, and we have written rules and regulations that say they can do that,” he said.

40 Million Dollar Benefit

Enfinity Global representative Dale Harris said the solar farm, located just south of U.S. Highway 20/26 and just east of Natrona Road, will provide a net benefit to the county of at least $40 million over the estimated 30-year life of the project.

Project modeling shows the county will receive $45 million in property taxes over three decades. He estimated there would be 250 construction jobs and a $379,000 benefit in state lodging taxes.

Harris said the location was chosen because of zoning and solar panels are allowed there. The plan includes a substation, panel area, access roads and medium voltage collection system.

As part of the approval recommendation given to county commissioners, planners noted that the project must go through the Wyoming Industrial Code application process, which would address many concerns.

Residents opposed to the project cited potential fire risks, pollution, construction traffic, the project’s effects on wildlife and sunlight from the panels.

Planning Commission counsel Shawn Gustafson said the mandatory Industrial Accommodation Code process would address many of the issues raised by surrounding residents.

Harris said the site was chosen to avoid disturbing the setback distance from the highway and the rural setting.

For those concerned about metals leaching from the panels into groundwater, he said the panels at the site will not contain any cadmium telluride that could contaminate groundwater. Typical panels consist of 76% glass, 10% plastic polymer, 8% aluminum, 1% copper, and less than one percent silver or other metals.

“We are working with Wyoming Game and Fish,” Harris said. “We will avoid all wetlands on the site and will not experience any hazardous chemical spills.

He said the facility would have three migration corridors for the animals to “reduce potential environmental impact.”

Fire Problems

Planners heard a presentation from Natrona County Fire Chief Brian Oliver, who said concerns about increased fire potential for the project would primarily involve lithium storage batteries, as well as grass fires that would engulf the facility.

Fighting a grass fire between the panels will be difficult, Oliver said, but the main concern for residents and the department will be the lithium battery fire, even if they are safer now.

“When there is a problem with lithium batteries, especially at this scale, it becomes a pretty big deal,” he said. “It could be disastrous for many reasons.”

Harris said the company has submitted its emergency management plan to the county and Oliver and will “work with” the fire chief to make sure there is a “wildfire mitigation plan.”

Traffic concerns raised by residents and the Wyoming Department of Transportation will also be addressed, Harris said. WYDOT recommended a left turn lane be required at the site due to heavy traffic during construction.

The Natrona County Highway Commission has advised that the bridge at Natrona Road will not handle heavy equipment. Harris said the company will use a dedicated access road on the property that can accommodate heavy equipment.

Sheila Kilts of Kaycee said she owns the land where the project will be located and that the income from the project will benefit the county.

As a landowner, he said he should be allowed to host the project because it’s his land, “as long as it doesn’t harm any of my neighbors.”

“We’re a major energy industry state, and we’re not here to say we’re against any of the other energy industries,” he said. “We support gas, we support coal, we support all of these. This is an added advantage. “It is an additional source of energy for the state.”

‘Hold the Farm’

Among the residents who opposed the project Tuesday was Robert Coon, who said he recently purchased 40 acres for his retirement, not far from the proposed site. He said there are several other people living in the area who are looking for the rural lifestyle like him.

“They say safety protocols are in place to stop any contamination on the ground. “This will not happen,” he said. “I worked in the oil region for 20 years. It will be affected one way or another.

“I am against the project. So 2000 acres of farm land? Stay on the farm.”

Property owners Robert and Melisa Schillinger wrote that they oppose the project because the development “encroaches on the only subdivision in the entire area, substantially obstructs the views and peace of residents, and eliminates the natural tributary of Reid Canyon Draw and Johnson.” Canyon.”

Pine Mountain subdivision resident Scott Engle said it’s hard to believe the project won’t produce sunlight as the company stated.

“There’s a group of people on Pine Mountain who can see Casper at about 6,000 feet,” he said. “We will see that, and it will be a huge eyesore.”

He also questioned where the company would sell its electricity because “it would be too expensive” for Wyoming.

The approval recommendation will be on the Dec. 3 agenda for consideration by the Natrona County Board of Commissioners.

Harris told planners that Enfinity Global operates in a dozen states as well as abroad.

elsewhere

Wyoming has become the target of large solar farms.

Endbridge Inc. plans to build a huge $1.2 billion solar farm project South Cheyenne will have 1.2 million solar panels producing up to 771 MW of electricity when fully operational. When built, it will be the largest solar power plant in the state.

Required to power a new device Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook) data centerIt’s being built on South Greeley Road in South Cheyenne.

Another project near Yoder calls for: $155 million solar farm With 326,000 hail-resistant panels to resist harsh weather conditions on Wyoming’s “Hail Road.”

A solar project in Goshen County proposed placing panels on poles high enough to also use the land beneath for sheep grazing.

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at [email protected].