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Solar project near energization; county seeks testing results after panel fire
Summary
Dolores County commissioners heard that construction of the local solar project is essentially complete and staff are in the testing and commissioning phase ahead of planned energization. Board members pressed project staff for soil-testing results and a cleanup schedule after a fire burned some panels; third‑party contractors Clean Harbors and Solar Cycle were named as cleanup options.
Construction is largely finished on the county’s new solar ("UV") facility, and crews are now focused on system testing and commissioning ahead of planned energization later this week, project staff told the Dolores County Board of County Commissioners.
"As of right now, the construction is pretty much complete," the project representative said, adding that about 40–60 on‑site personnel remained to finish commissioning and punch‑list work. Tri‑State representatives confirmed they made final connections at the substation and expected to energize the line on Friday, with turnover to Tri‑State anticipated by the end of the year or in early 2026.
The board also addressed a prior incident in which panels and staging materials ignited. County environmental‑health staff asked whether burned material or runoff reached surrounding fields and raised concerns that some panel chemistries — notably cadmium telluride in certain module types — can pose contamination risks in soil and water. Project staff replied that the modules on site are not the cadmium‑telluride type, that silt fences and waddles captured sediment following recent rain, and that no off‑site discharge had been observed.
Contractors identified to perform cleanup and remediation work included Clean Harbors (a national disaster‑cleanup firm) and Solar Cycle (a subcontractor). Project staff said contractors anticipate mobilizing the week of the 29th with an approximate two‑week cleanup window, but they emphasized that final handling, recycling or certified disposal of materials will be dictated by laboratory test results.
County staff and public‑health officials asked that third‑party testing summaries and the sampling plan — including where soil samples were taken — be shared with the county and made available to the public once testing is complete. Project staff said their QA/QC team had already been instructed to collect a second round of samples after the initial batch and that they would provide results to the county when the laboratory completes its analysis.
Board members did not take formal action on the cleanup beyond requesting prompt sharing of test results and continued coordination with public‑health staff. Commissioners thanked emergency responders and county crews for fire‑mitigation work at the site.
The board asked staff to notify the county immediately when completed testing is available and to provide a short summary for public distribution explaining what was sampled and what the test results indicate.
