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Ellis County holds extended public discussion of proposed 175-MW Tallgrass solar project
Summary
Developers of a proposed 175-megawatt Tallgrass solar project answered questions on wetlands, decommissioning bonds, interconnection costs and local benefits at a non-voting Ellis County Commission session; county staff and residents pressed for more environmental data, pipeline coordination and negotiated pilot and road-use agreements before any vote.
County commissioners on Jan. 6 held a lengthy, non-voting public discussion of a conditional use permit application from Tallgrass Development LLC (IBV Energy Partners/DB Energy) to build a 175-megawatt commercial solar facility in Ellis County.
Steven Link, with DB Energy, said the project was sited because it has access to a 345-kilovolt transmission line critical for delivering large-scale generation. "We have a very detailed plan," Link said, and announced an IBV open house on Jan. 22 to field resident questions and present technical studies. He said the project has completed interconnection studies with the grid operator and that long-lead equipment and network upgrades make a multi-year construction timeline likely.
Why it matters: commissioners and residents focused on local impacts — wetlands, wildlife, roads, pipelines and county revenues. Commissioners said they will not vote on the CUP until the developer and county reach agreement on a set of conditions, including a decommissioning funding agreement, a road-use…
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