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Gilliam County approves PILOT amendment and community benefit payments for Oregon Trail Solar battery
Summary
The county approved an amendment to the Oregon Trail Solar pilot agreement to add a battery-owned LLC and approved community benefit payments of $55,000 per year to each of two early-learning centers for the life of the pilot; first payments are expected in March 2027.
Gilliam County commissioners on June 17 approved an amendment to the payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) agreement for the Oregon Trail Solar pilot to add a battery-specific LLC and approved a related community benefit agreement allocating $55,000 annually to each of two early-learning/childcare centers for the term of the pilot.
Tom Russell, representing Auben Grid, explained the battery is being developed and will be owned by a separate LLC; the amendment clarifies the battery's ownership and confirms the battery will be treated under the pilot provisions without changing pilot payment calculations. Russell said the battery is the company's first U.S. battery project and the amendment follows the original 2023 pilot arrangement.
The community benefit agreement ties annual payments to the pilot term: payments (beginning March 1, 2027) will be made to Arlington Childcare Center and Condan Early Learning Center for the anticipated duration of the pilot (15 years with a potential five-year extension). Russell said the pilot and battery construction are expected to initiate late 2027 or early 2028, and the pilot payment schedule anticipates a construction-stage payment in March 2027.
The court approved two separate motions: first, the amendment to add the battery LLC to the PILOT payment agreement; and second, the community benefit agreement committing the annual childcare payments. The court recorded the motions as passed by voice vote.
Next steps: county staff will finalize signature and implementation mechanics for pilot payments and ensure the community benefit payments are distributed to the named childcare providers; the agreements include provisions that reassign funds to the county if a named beneficiary ceases to exist.
