Planning commission approves Indigo Basin solar project with conditions; regional review required

The Washoe County Planning Commission approved a special use permit on July 1 for the Indigo Basin solar project (WSUP25-0011), a proposed renewable energy facility planned about 11 miles west of Reno. The commission voted in favor after staff presented the project and the applicant described site planning and studies; Commissioner Michael Flick made the motion and Commissioner Amy Owen seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote with all commissioners present voting aye.

Senior Planner Kat Oakley told the commission the project proposes 20 megawatts AC (28.248 megawatts DC) of photovoltaic capacity on roughly four parcels in the Truckee Canyon planning area, within about one mile of the Truckee River. The application includes a major grading request with approximately 130.5 acres of ground disturbance, about 45,600 cubic yards of cut and a nearly balanced fill volume; Oakley said the proposal calls for reseeding disturbed areas and includes a required vegetation management plan coordinated with Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District to address fire risk.

Oakley said the site is zoned general rural and industrial, surrounded in part by existing industrial uses including other solar facilities and a data center, and that the project intends to connect to the Claremont substation. Because the project exceeds 5 megawatts, Oakley said it qualifies as a project of regional significance and will require conformance review by the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) before any county approval takes effect. Oakley also said one condition will require the applicant to resolve a plan that currently shows solar panels crossing a property line either by boundary line adjustment or by relocating panels to meet setbacks.

Representatives for the applicant, EDP Renewables North America Distributed Generation, said surveys and technical studies have been completed and that they plan to start construction in the first quarter of 2026 if permitting proceeds on schedule, targeting in-service in the first quarter of 2027. The applicant said it would coordinate with utilities and other owners where underground facilities or access are present.

The commission’s approval includes conditions addressing drainage near the Truckee River, standards for decommissioning/reclamation, fencing, lighting and ancillary infrastructure (all proposed infrastructure would be under 60 kV per staff), and the vegetation management plan. Oakley said staff can make all required standard findings and the three findings specific to natural resource development projects. The record shows the item was noticed to agencies and to property owners; the exact count of property owners in the notice list as read in the oral staff summary was unclear in the transcript and is recorded as not specified in the clarifying details.