A Washington state board has recommended that Gov. Jay Inslee approve the application for a proposed 80-MW solar project in the center of the state.
The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) unanimously made the recommendation with little discussion on Oct. 20 and sent its guidance to Inslee the following day. Inslee has until Dec. 19 to make this decision.
The project by OneEnergy Renewables (OER) of Seattle would be located near the town of Moxee in Yakima County.
“The Council concludes that Goose Prairie Solar will provide the state and the region with important alternative energy supply and will not cause significant unmitigated environmental impacts or substantial negative effect on the broad public interest,” EFSEC’s report to Inslee said.
“I thought [the proposal] was very thorough and well-prepared,” Chair Kathleen Drew said at the group’s meeting Oct. 20. Robert Dengel, the council’s Washington Department of Ecology representative, agreed that approval was “straightforward.”
Goose Prairie’s application states that the 625-acre solar farm would interconnect with the Bonneville Power Administration’s 115-kV Midway-to-Moxee transmission line, which bisects the facility. The document also notes that OER is holding out the option of installing a battery storage system that would not exceed the 80-MW capacity of the project.
The company did not respond to several phone messages from NetZero Insider to discuss the project, including costs and a construction timetable.
If Inslee approves the application, OER must study the environmental impacts to any habitats for sensitive species and provide a mitigation plan, according to paperwork filed with the EFSEC. The council and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would have to approve that plan.
An EFSEC public hearing on the project held March 16 showed no opposition.
Eastern Washington has four solar farms going through permitting, 28 on the drawing board, two under construction, and one in operation, according to state estimates. EFSEC is currently reviewing nine proposed wind and solar projects for the state.
