A massive solar panel project continues to take steps toward construction in Greene County.

Sydney Beck with National Grid Renewables gave an update to the Greene County Development Corporation Board this past Tuesday. She says National Grid Renewables is planning to construct and operate a 150-megawatt solar panel farm that consists of 1,300 acres about 1.5 miles south of Grand Junction. The company originally made a presentation to the Greene County Board of Supervisors on May 17th, and at that time the project was slated for 100-megawatts with about 900 acres.

Beck also gave an update of how the negotiations have been going with landowners involved in the project, as well as the surrounding landowners.

“We do have agreements already signed for all the parcels involved in the project. We have had a little push back from neighboring landowners. We’ve provided agreements with them as well to receive benefits. We’re working on doing some vegetative screening, which means planting trees in their viewsheds. And then we have pushed our boundary out a little bit further from their home, so it’s not so close. I think we’re at about 200 or 300 feet away from their property lines.”    

Beck said there would be 4-6 full time employees for the project and the tax revenue that the county would capture would increase from $44,00 of the parcels involved in the project to $149,000 per year. She was hopeful to get approval for a conditional use permit through the Greene County Planning and Zoning Commission, and then go before the Iowa Utilities Board for final approval. 

However, Greene County Supervisor Chair John Muir said at their meeting on Thursday about the Board possibly implementing a six month moratorium on solar panel projects. He said, due to the amount of calls from other entities that County Environmental Administrator Chuck Wenthold has been receiving about similar projects, the moratorium would also give them time to draft a solar panel ordinance, since none currently exist. County Attorney Thomas Laehn gave his initial thoughts about pursuing a moratorium.

“There are a couple of counties that have done this type of moratorium. The one has apparently has triggered some lawsuits. Just at first blush, I don’t see any reason, legally, why the county wouldn’t be able to do it. It would just be a matter of doing it the right way.”   

Beck told the GCDC Board they were hoping to start construction by early next year, with the solar farm to be operational by the end of the year.