Emery County approves Pacific CorpClaussen 1 solar and battery-storage conditional use permit after public hearing

Emery County commissioners voted Sept. 16 to approve a level-3 conditional use permit for Pacific Corp's Claussen 1 solar power and battery energy storage project after a lengthy public hearing that drew farmers, ranchers and county staff.

Presenters said the project would have a photovoltaic capacity of 128 megawatts sited on Pacific Corp-owned property of roughly 1,800 acres, with about 64% (~1,170 acres) potentially used for panels, inverters, roads, a collector substation and a battery energy storage system. "It's a 128 megawatt capacity," said Spencer Martin of Martin and Nicholson Environmental Consulting during the presentation. Project materials described a roughly 3-mile transmission line tying the site to the Emery Substation near the Hunter Power Plant; applicants said two routing options are under consideration, one crossing mostly Pacific-owned land and an alternative that would require a short Bureau of Land Management crossing.

The hearing drew a string of detailed local comments. Jay Humphrey, a landowner and Emery Water Conservancy District manager, asked planners to map buried irrigation and stock-water lines and to protect easements during construction; he said the irrigation main typically lies ~4 feet deep and stock-water lines around 3 feet. Derry Jukes of Rock Canyon Cattle Company told commissioners the arrays border hay fields and a cattle staging area and pressed for protections to prevent runoff or containment failures, dust controls during construction, and guaranteed access during April—October cattle movements. "We have hay fields that if there's any leaching out—what's gonna protect us?" Jukes asked.

Speakers also raised wildfire and safety questions tied to battery storage. County and applicant representatives said the BESS yard would be rock-covered, enclosed by at least an eight-foot security fence, and that building permits and fire-response procedures for lithium batteries would be developed with local fire districts and emergency responders. Marlon of Rocky Mountain Power said a company-controlled project could bring consistent security and local staffing; "we'd be able to control it better," he said.

Presenters offered preliminary cost and tax estimates but emphasized uncertainty. One presenter described capital costs in the hundreds of millions (solar and paired batteries), and a county tax analyst estimate cited during the meeting suggested potential property-tax receipts in excess of "$300,000,000 a year," a figure commissioners and applicants repeatedly characterized as an estimate that depends on central-assessment rules and allocation formulas administered by the State Tax Commission.

Cultural resources were studied: presenters reported a prior cultural-resources survey in which a historic canal (the Quiver Western Canal) was identified as potentially eligible for the National Register; portions of the project area were described as previously disturbed and mitigation options including signage and mitigation plans were discussed.

After discussion and a motion to approve the conditional use permit, the commission voted to grant the permit. The motion passed with a recorded negative vote from Commissioner Jensen, who said he could not support the solar project; commissioners asked planning staff to draft conditions addressing setbacks, stormwater controls and the specific concerns raised by nearby landowners.

Next procedural steps include formalization of permit conditions and coordination between planning staff, the applicant and affected landowners to finalize construction timing, erosion and dust-control plans, maps of buried utilities and fire-response training agreements with local fire districts.