MURRAY, Neb. (KMTV) – The Cass County Solar Project was recommended denial by the planning board last Monday. Now, the county commissioners decide if this project moves forward.
- The Cass County Planning Board recommended denial of the project
- The commissioners vote on if the project moves forward in November
- If the vote passes, the solar project would be $400 million and take up 2,000 acres of farmland
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Cass County officials are preparing to vote on an over $400 million solar project that would take up over 2,000 acres of farmland.
To get this application approved, there are a lot of steps the county must take and although it may seem boring, the approval or denial of this the solar project application makes a big impact for this county.
"We have to make sure we are vetting these projects properly," said Mike Jensen, zoning administrator for Cass County.
The new application for the NextEra Energy Resources Solar Project went through the planning board last Monday and the board recommended denial of the permit.
"Originally the application had 105 megawatts of storage capability and there were just too many unknowns there with the batteries, so they ended up taking those off the application," Jensen said.
Now, if the county commissioners deny the new application that will be end of this project.
Jensen said the amount of farmland being used, the cost being over $400 million with a time span that could potentially be over 40 years concerns some neighbors in the community.
"With a project this size there is going to be some risks, and we want to make sure we are addressing these risks and make sure we are causing potential harm to property value in the area and text payers in general,” Jensen said.
NextEra would be using the land through 25-year lease agreements with homeowners in the area. The assumption is the power would get distributed through OPPD since it is the local provider, according to Jensen.
He said this project could generate $1.1 million for the county.
A spokesperson for NextEra told KMTV this project would be able to power more than 54,000 homes annually and the company is continuing to work local officials to secure the necessary permits.
The application is expected to go the board of commissioners in November.
