Vermilion County approves decommissioning and road-use agreements for Ridge Farm-area solar projects
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Summary
The county board approved decommissioning agreements and a road-use agreement for several community solar projects near Ridge Farm, requiring larger-than-state-standard financial assurances: a negotiated 100% decommissioning assurance at building-permit time for one project, an estimated $285,000 decommissioning cost for CVE (2.5 MW) and a $300,000 irrevocable letter of credit for road repairs.
Vermilion County on June 10 approved a package of project agreements for several community solar installations near Ridge Farm, including decommissioning agreements and a road-use agreement intended to protect county and township infrastructure.
County staff told the board the Ridge Farm Renewables decommissioning agreement goes beyond the state statutory minimum. "Under the state statutory scheme, what they are required to post is 10% at the, when the project begins operation. We negotiated with the developer. We got them to post a 100% from, the time they come in and request their building permit," staff said. The agreement requires the developer to revisit the decommissioning cost estimate every five years and includes a 3% annual escalator; the first five years of security will take the form of a bond and then convert to a letter of credit.
For the CVE US Illinois Ridge Farm project, staff described a road-use agreement to protect local roads and said the county negotiated an irrevocable letter of credit of $300,000 to cover potential road damage. "If they don't repair [damage], that's the purpose of the ... letter of credit," staff said. On decommissioning costs, staff said CVE reduced its project size to 2.5 megawatts from a prior 4 MW, which lowered the estimated decommissioning cost: Nexamp's estimate was $385,000 while CVE's estimate is $285,000; otherwise the agreements mirror earlier terms.
Board roll calls recorded in the transcript show formal approvals: the Ridge Farm decommissioning agreement and related resolutions were adopted on the record; the CVE road-use agreement passed with recorded results of "18 yes, 2 no, 7 absent." The CVE decommissioning agreement was approved in a subsequent roll call. Staff also explained that required permit documents and exhibit lists are part of the county's resolution and that applicants must supply the listed materials at the building-permit stage.
Supporters on the board thanked staff and the state's attorney for negotiating stronger financial assurances; some members emphasized public communication and the need for more local review beyond state checklists. Public commenters, however, raised objections to solar projects and urged more thorough vetting.
Next steps: developers must post the required financial assurances when applying for building permits; county staff will continue to administer the decommissioning and road-use agreements and revisit decommissioning estimates on five-year cycles as required by the agreements.