The Pennington County Planning Commission on Oct. 27 approved two conditional-use permit reviews for Yarrow Tech's utility-scale energy proposals after receiving a project update from company representatives and hearing multiple public comments.

Mark, a Yarrow Tech representative, told the commission the company established a federal "safe harbor" for the project by spending 5 percent of capital costs on equipment, which Mark said equates to about $10,000,000 for the roughly 200-megawatt scale project. He described an interconnection path to the Underwood substation and said the team had resolved a dispute about the width of a transmission access corridor: Southwest Power Pool initially indicated a 125-foot corridor but Yarrow Tech reported it obtained transmission-owner and Western Area Power Administration feedback that engineering can accommodate the lateral interconnection within a 66-foot corridor and that any wider corridor would require separate Board of Commissioners action under county ordinance 11.

Mark outlined the 28 conditions precedent staff included with the conditional-use permit, saying the company is working through site plans, an equipment staging area and access road off Route 44, fencing, pit permits for staging, environmental reviews (including cultural/Native American-site and endangered-species checks) and state-level electrical and stormwater permits. He said a 2-to-3-year interconnection timetable to the regional operator (Southwest Power Pool) remains likely.

Public speakers raised concerns about impacts to short-grass prairie, agricultural land loss, potential runoff to Rapid Creek and the Cheyenne River, foreign investment and the use of easements across private ranchland. Ranchers asked how right-of-way and access would cross private parcels; Mark and Planning Director Britney Hahn responded that right-of-way approvals over section lines are a highway-department/Board-of-Commissioners matter under Pennington County ordinance 11 and that any easements would be documented between land sellers and buyers.

The commission asked about monitoring for a noise limit included in the conditions (55 dBA at the closest property line). Mark said third-party environmental engineers could conduct sound measurements at property boundaries and submit reports to the county. Mark also said the project had drilled or located a high-capacity well on site for construction needs and that decommissioning and bonding requirements are included in the ordinance and permit framework.

After public comment and questions, the commission voted to discuss items 6 and 7 together and then voted separately to approve conditional-use permit review COCUR24-0022 (item 6) and COCUR24-0023 (item 7) per staff recommendations. The chair advised the permits will return for renewal in one year.

Speakers quoted in this report include Mark (Yarrow Tech representative) and Britney Hahn, planning director, and residents who identified themselves for the record including Kirsten Mitchell and Jerry Mader.

The approvals constitute the planning commission's recommendation; the Pennington County Board of Commissioners will consider the permits at a subsequent public meeting.