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County approves development agreement to pursue 10 MW solar project on Hibbing closed landfill
Summary
St. Louis County authorized a development agreement with Eden Renewables to pursue construction of a roughly 10-megawatt solar installation on the closed Hibbing landfill, a first-of-its-kind project in Minnesota and among the larger U.S. landfill solar sites.
St. Louis County approved a development agreement to allow Eden Renewables to pursue construction of a solar array at the closed Hibbing landfill, staff said.
Dave Fink, St. Louis County environmental services director, told the board the proposal is for a 10-megawatt (AC) or larger solar installation at the closed Hibbing landfill and that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Power have prioritized closed-landfill development in recent programs. Fink said the county would own the land and receive revenue while a third-party developer would manage monitoring and cap protection under an eventual lease with MPCA input.
Tom Cosby, project manager for Eden Renewables, said the project would deliver local renewable energy to Minnesota Power and that the company expected the site to power roughly 1,800 homes. Cosby said Eden had been working on the county project for about three years and is competing in a Minnesota Power RFP; county staff indicated a submission deadline to Minnesota Power of May 29 for the RFP round referenced.
Fink and Eden representatives said the project would be among the largest U.S. solar installations sited on a closed landfill and that the Cook site (another county landfill) is being considered at a smaller scale (approximately 2.5 MW) due to substation constraints. Fink said a 10 MW project typically requires about 60 acres but, because of cap slopes and passive methane vents at Hibbing, the county project footprint may be closer to 8090 acres pending MPCA approval for cap protection and layout.
Board members emphasized local labor and manufacturing opportunities. Commissioners noted conversations with a nearby panel manufacturer in Mountain Iron and the inclusion of a project labor agreement (PLA) with Hunt Electric as the construction partner; county and Eden representatives said they prioritize local trades when possible but that supply-chain availability can constrain sourcing. Commissioners also asked about timetable: Eden said construction could target third quarter 2026 (or second quarter 2027) with a Minnesota Power requirement that projects be online no later than the end of 2028 if selected by the utility.
The board voted unanimously to authorize the development agreement to advance the Eden Renewables proposal and to allow county staff to finalize documents to support a Minnesota Power bid.
