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County hears update on near-complete solar project and cleanup after burned panels
Summary
Project representatives told commissioners construction is essentially complete and the substation is expected to be energized this week; third-party testing will determine how burned solar panels and any contaminated soil are handled and where waste will be taken.
Construction and commissioning status and an active cleanup plan were the central topics during the board’s first guest presentation.
A project representative told the board the site is "pretty much complete" and that testing and commissioning are the primary on‑site activities before energizing the project. "As of right now, the construction is pretty much complete," the representative said, and contractors were working at the substation to prepare for energization later in the week. He added that onsite personnel numbers are dwindling as punch‑list and commissioning work winds down.
Public‑health staff asked detailed questions about potential contamination after a staging‑area fire that damaged some panels. Dolores County environmental‑health staff said they need testing data to reassure residents and to determine whether harmful materials entered soil or runoff: "I work for public health. I'm the environmental health person," the staff member said, asking whether runoff reached surrounding fields and requesting that testing and sampling plans be shared with the county.
Project staff and the contractor team said they had retained third‑party testing and cleanup contractors and expected cleanup to be scheduled around the week of the 29th, with about two weeks of onsite removal work anticipated, contingent on test outcomes. They named two lead contractors under consideration and said the disposal path and final destinations for removed material will be dictated by those test results and regulatory controls. "Share report testing summary from testing agents," a project coordinator said, acknowledging county requests for results to be distributed when available.
Commissioners asked for timely follow‑up and for testing summaries to be posted to county channels so staff can respond to public inquiries. The board directed staff to coordinate with the cleanup contractors and environmental health officials and to provide the county a summarized testing report once results are complete.
The board received no motion or formal vote on the cleanup plan itself and requested ongoing updates at future meetings.
