Construction of a solar generating facility over 700 acres in size is being proposed for a plot of land north of Moses Lake.
On Monday, iFIBER ONE News spoke to Grant County’s planning division.
Associate Planner Ron Sell says a company called ‘Invenergy’ out of Chicago, Illinois is working with the county in obtaining the needed permits to build on the large parcel located at 5010 Rd 10 NE in Moses Lake. The site is located about one mile northwest of the main runway at the Grant County International Airport.
Invenergy plans to develop a photovoltaic solar electrical generating facility with an energy storage system that will generate up to 120 megawatts of renewable energy. The project will connect to Grant PUD’s transmission system.
Sell says the company had planned on breaking ground late last year or early this year, but coronavirus and push back from environmental agencies have delayed the permitting process.
On Tuesday, an open record public hearing is set to take place to consider a proposed development agreement between Grant County, Grant County Conservation District, and Quincy Solar Energy LLC for “Project Mitigation Parameters.” Sell says the environmental agencies involved in the process expect the project to restore the habitat it will affect and mitigate any other environmental impacts.
Sell says the project could be given the green light within the next couple of months.
Sell says he isn’t sure who the purchaser of the power will be, but the subsidiary, Quincy Solar Energy LLC, may indicate that the buyer of the power could be local.
iFIBER ONE News reached out to Invenergy for further details, but have not heard back.