Emery County approves conditional use permit for PacifiCorp Claussen 1 solar and battery site after public hearing

The Emery County Commission approved a Level 3 conditional-use permit for PacifiCorp’s Claussen 1 solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage project following a public hearing at its Sept. 16 meeting in Castle Dale.

PacifiCorp representatives described the project as a large solar and storage facility on company-owned land west of Highway 10, roughly four miles southwest of Castle Dale. Spencer Martin of Martin and Nicholson Environmental Consulting, who said his firm is under contract to PacifiCorp for the permit application, described the site as “a 128 megawatt capacity” photovoltaic project spread across roughly 1,800 acres of PacifiCorp-owned property; Martin said about 64% of that acreage — roughly 1,170 acres — would be devoted to arrays, inverters, access roads, a collector substation and the battery energy storage system. The project would tie into the regional grid with a roughly three-mile transmission line paralleling Highway 10 and then connecting to the Emery Substation near the Hunter Power Plant.

A PacifiCorp representative, identified in the hearing as Jeff, addressed property tax questions frequently raised by commissioners and residents. “It’s more than $300,000,000 a year according to the math that our tax colleague prepared,” Jeff said when discussing estimated tax potential from the development, but added that the company does not control how centrally assessed property is allocated across counties. He said that the project would be centrally assessed by the Utah State Tax Commission because it sits on utility-owned land.

Why it matters: commissioners, farmers and residents asked whether the project would deliver local tax benefits, interfere with local water infrastructure, block livestock trails or change grazing and recreational access. Several speakers pressed PacifiCorp to address drainage, dust control, fencing, and emergency response procedures for battery incidents. Residents also raised concerns about wildlife displacement and noxious-weeds spread during construction.

Public comments and concerns: dozens of residents and adjacent landowners spoke during the hearing. Jay Humphrey, a landowner and manager with the Emery Water Conservancy District, flagged several existing irrigation and stock-water lines that run across or near the project footprint and asked that the transmission structures and poles be sited to avoid underground facilities; Humphrey said irrigation mains in the area are typically buried about 3–4 feet. Derry (Derek) Jukes, representing Rock Canyon Cattle Company, said parts of the arrays would border his hay fields and staged livestock areas and sought assurances about stormwater control and containment: “If you have leakage, it’s gonna go right into us,” Jukes said, asking for details on berms, setbacks and drainage controls.

Landowner and livestock-operational concerns extended to timing of construction. Several ranchers noted they stage cattle on affected fields between April and October and asked that construction scheduling and access plans avoid disrupting seasonal livestock movement. “We’ll be ... there in mid June,” one rancher said when seeking a construction schedule that would not block trails used to move animals.

Battery-storage safety and emergency response: adjacent landowners who would border the proposed battery yard asked about fire risk and response. PacifiCorp staff said the battery yard would resemble a substation: a gravel yard, defensible spacing, and at least an eight-foot security fence. The company said it anticipates coordinating with local fire districts on battery-specific emergency procedures and training. A resident whose property appeared adjacent to the proposed battery location said, “If something goes wrong ... it’s coming on to me,” describing the concern about smoke or fire spread from battery incidents.

Wildlife, weeds and archaeology: local speakers raised potential effects on mule deer and other wildlife that bed on nearby benches; several asked whether animals would be excluded by fencing or change their habitat use. The county weed supervisor and landowner, Corey Warwood, urged strict equipment-cleaning and noxious-weed controls to avoid introducing invasive species during construction. A PacifiCorp consultant said a cultural-resources survey has been completed and identified a historic canal as the only potentially eligible site; portions of the project area have previously lost historic integrity, the consultant said.

Setbacks, access and map clarifications: PacifiCorp and its contractor said array layouts and buildings would meet or exceed county setbacks (county staff said typical setbacks are 50 feet from the highway centerline and 30 feet from right-of-way lines) and that Rock Canyon Flat Road would remain open during and after construction. The company also offered to provide maps of existing water and irrigation lines when requested.

Interconnection, queue position and other projects: speakers asked whether the project would displace other queued solar developments seeking interconnection. Jeff explained that interconnection to Rocky Mountain Power’s system is managed through a public queue and that projects cannot jump ahead of more senior queue positions; he offered to share the public queue numbers with local developers on request.

Commission action: After deliberation — during which commissioners asked PacifiCorp to consider clarifications and mitigation conditions on setbacks, drainage, dust control, livestock access and emergency procedures — a motion to approve the Level 3 conditional-use permit passed 2–1. The clerk recorded votes as Commissioner Warwood (Aye), Commissioner Leonard (Aye) and Chairman Jensen (Nay). The commission directed planning staff to work with the applicant on written conditions addressing the issues raised at the hearing.

What remains: PacifiCorp representatives said they expect construction to begin in late 2027 and finish in 2028 if the timeline holds. The company emphasized that specific layout, engineering and mitigation details would be finalized in later permitting and construction plans. County staff and PacifiCorp agreed to follow up on maps of buried irrigation and stock-water lines, stormwater and erosion control plans, dust suppression measures during construction, and battery-specific emergency planning.

Speakers quoted in this story spoke at the public hearing and are listed in the article’s speaker roster. The factual descriptions above reflect statements made during the hearing and county discussion; where residents or company representatives estimated figures (for example, property-tax estimates or cost estimates), those figures are attributed to the speaker and described as estimates.