Adams County OKs large-scale Vega solar project with battery storage, sets decommissioning oversight conditions

The Adams County Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 on July 1 to approve conditional use permits for the Vega Solar Energy Facility, a proposed utility-scale solar project and associated battery energy storage and substation on approximately 981 acres in eastern Adams County.

Planner Brian Marron presented the application (Case PRC 2024-6), saying the site is about 16 miles north of Byers and is zoned Agricultural A-3 with a future land-use designation of agricultural large scale. The project team requested three conditional use permits: a large-scale solar facility, a utility substation, and a battery energy storage system. The county packet and staff report describe panels mounted on single-axis trackers, panel heights of roughly 8 to 10 feet depending on topography, and engineered setbacks from abandoned oil and gas wells.

The applicant, represented by Dale Harris of Infinity Global, said the project would be sited where two major transmission lines cross the properties and is designed for 120 MW AC (156 MW DC) of solar paired with a 60 MW battery. Harris told the board the project’s estimated capital cost is about $250 million and that it could yield roughly $20 million in tax revenue to the county over time. He said peak construction would employ about 250 people and long-term operations would staff roughly two to five workers on-site.

County staff recommended approval with conditions, including a decommissioning and site-restoration requirement and a performance bond equaling 100% of the estimated decommissioning cost. In discussion commissioners and staff focused on the projected term and on mechanisms to ensure that the county can cover decommissioning costs if operators change or go bankrupt. Planning staff noted the planning commission had approved an amendment extending the conditional use permit validity to 45 years; staff recommended a 30-year expiration but told the board they would not oppose a longer term if the board found it warranted.

Before the board vote, commissioners adopted an amendment that added a new condition requiring the operator and any successors to reimburse the county for its cost to hire a third-party consultant to review the estimated decommissioning and site restoration cost at least every two years (and whenever the operator updates the estimate for purposes of the performance bond). The amendment was read into the record and accepted by the applicant during the hearing.

The board approved the case 5-0 with the following key implementation points recorded in the staff report and in discussion: the applicant must comply with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommendations (including two 250-foot wildlife corridors and wildlife-friendly fence posts), provide a decommissioning and site-restoration plan with a performance bond covering 100% of the estimated decommissioning cost, and construct the site per the approved plans. Staff said construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and that operations would start around May 2029 under current projections.

Public outreach: staff mailed notice to property owners within a one-mile radius and received one written comment of opposition citing concerns about mineral rights; the applicant and property owner negotiated to resolve that objection. No members of the public spoke at the planning commission hearing for this case. The planning commission recommended approval 7-0 after voting 5-2 to extend the permit term from 30 to 45 years; the board accepted staff’s recommendation on most elements but added the decommissioning-review-cost reimbursement condition and maintained a 30-year approach in the final packet language while accepting the amendment on oversight.

The deed, permit, and bond requirements reviewed in the hearing require future administrative actions by county departments (planning, risk management, and legal) to track the condition and performance bond amounts. Commissioners asked staff to ensure a robust monitoring process for re-evaluating bond amounts and to clarify responsibilities if an operator becomes insolvent.

Votes and formal actions taken on the item are recorded in the meeting minutes and summarized below.