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Potter County approves reinvestment zone and tax agreement for Yellow Rose Solar project
Summary
After public comment on setbacks and environmental concerns, the commissioners approved designation of Potter County Reinvestment Zone No. 2 and a 10-year tax payment agreement with Yellow Rose Solar LLC, including increased pilot payments; the votes were 4–0.
The Potter County Commissioners Court approved a resolution creating Potter County Reinvestment Zone Number 2 and authorized a tax payment (abatement) agreement with Yellow Rose Solar LLC, voting 4–0 after receiving public comment and a developer presentation.
Alicia Wheeler, project development manager for Orion Renewable Energy Group, told the court the Yellow Rose Solar Project could reach up to 1,500 megawatts and involve about 18,000 acres of leased land, with roughly 10,000 acres inside fenced developable area and roughly 3,000 acres expected to be directly affected by construction. She said construction could begin as early as 2026 and the combined capital investment for Carson and Potter counties could be on the order of $4,000,000,000; she told the court Potter County’s portion is roughly $2,000,000,000–$2,100,000,000. Wheeler said the company estimates about $200,000,000 in tax revenue over the life of the project and described a solar-neighbor program and PILT-style annual payments to the county during the abatement period.
Residents urged caution. Philip Carter, who said he lives in Antelope Mesa, told the court the nearest arrays could be a few hundred feet from homes and said residents received insufficient notice. Gabriela Sanchez said federal depreciation and investment tax credits already reduce early taxable value and warned an added county abatement could further suppress revenue for schools and local services. Roland (Raleigh) raised concerns about panel materials and potential hazards if damaged.
Wheeler described environmental studies, FAA coordination and a minimum 250-foot setback from nonparticipating homes (she said Orion increased that setback in some locations), and she said Orion would offer screening and a native-vegetation plan. She also said the project would support annual training for local fire departments on battery-energy-storage incidents and other emergency-response items.
On the motion to designate the reinvestment zone and approve the tax-payment agreement, commissioners acted after an executive-session motion under Gov’t Code 551.087 to deliberate economic development offers; the court then approved the reinvestment-zone resolution and the tax-payment agreement. Commissioners recorded an increase in the pilot amount as represented in the offer: $18.75 per megawatt for solar and $13.75 per megawatt for battery storage; both votes passed 4–0.
Alicia Wheeler summarized the narrow scope of the abatement: “It does not reduce any of the existing tax that is coming into the county. It only applies to our project.” The court’s action makes the county’s 10-year pilot payment structure part of the developer agreement; county staff and the developer said other taxing entities will continue to collect taxes as provided by law during the abatement period.
Next steps: the agreement as approved is subject to the terms represented at the meeting, including the increased pilot; implementation details and final contract language will be handled through the county’s usual contract and compliance processes.
