Finney County approves Sherlock Solar and battery storage special-use permits amid water and revegetation concerns

Finney County commissioners voted to approve special-use permits for Sherlock Solar LLC and Sherlock Energy Storage LLC, subsidiaries of Triple Oak Power, clearing a major land‑use hurdle for a proposed 400‑megawatt solar project and an integrated 400 MW/4‑hour lithium‑ion battery energy storage facility.

Staff and the applicants told the commission the Sherlock Solar project would occupy a defined project boundary of about 6,150 acres in township 25 south, range 34 west, with the actual solar arrays and ancillary facilities sited within that area. The battery energy storage site was described as roughly 54 acres and intended to integrate with the solar generation; developers estimate construction could begin in spring 2027 and take roughly 24 months for the solar arrays and about 12 months for the battery site.

“Revegetation is a serious issue, and we’re tackling it head‑on,” Jesse Gronner, CEO of Triple Oak Power, told the commission, describing the company’s commitments to work with local experts on prairie seed mixes and erosion control. Gronner and members of the project team said the applicant will be required—before any building permits are issued—to submit a final site plan, a vegetation and land‑stewardship plan, erosion and sediment control plans, decommissioning and restoration agreements, a road‑use and maintenance agreement and a community benefit agreement.

Staff emphasized the SUP is a land‑use approval; it does not authorize construction. Mackenzie Phillips, development administrative coordinator, walked commissioners through the Finney County SUP requirements and the list of conditions that applicants must satisfy before disturbance or building permits can be issued.

Public comments at the hearing included written testimony read from Kathy Flurry, who urged the commission to reject data‑center and large industrial projects that she said “consume staggering amounts of electricity and water” and risk environmental harm. Theres Hartnett, a Finney County landowner and attorney, urged the board to deny the zoning waiver for a proposed data‑center component, citing short public notice, unanswered questions about irrigation and cooling water, and potential long‑term loss of irrigated cropland. “There’s no justification for providing similar advantages to industrial developments who do not provide such benefits to the community,” Hartnett said.

Commissioners pressed the developers on water, revegetation and emergency readiness. Chris Baker, Triple Oak’s senior director of engineering, told the board that battery energy storage systems do not use water during normal operation and that water on site would be limited to a holding tank for emergency response. He said the project team participates in national safety standards development and will coordinate emergency‑response planning with local fire and first responders.

County economic development staff and outside experts will be part of a vegetation and water‑sustainability committee to review seed mixes, revegetation protocols and the net effect to local water rights, staff said. Lana DeVal of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation said the county had established additional review steps, including technical studies and committees, to evaluate environmental and water impacts and to ensure public review of follow‑on agreements.

Commissioners framed their approval around the county’s SUP criteria, noting the permit contains clear conditions and that subsequent, specific plans and agreements must return to the county for review and approvals. A roll‑call vote recorded support by commissioners present with one commissioner recused for a conflict; the motion carried.

The approvals are the land‑use component of a larger “Home Range Clean Power” initiative proponents described, which could include solar, battery storage, wind, natural gas peaking generation and a digital infrastructure campus. The applicants emphasized additional permits, engineering, interconnection approvals and community agreements remain to be negotiated and approved before physical construction could begin.