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Pawnee County begins PILOT talks with ibV Energy for 850-acre solar farm
Summary
County commissioners began negotiations with ibV Energy on a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for a proposed solar generation site that would lease about 1,040 acres and use roughly 850 acres for panels; ibV told commissioners the project will be generation-only (no battery storage) and expects a transmission line of under a mile.
Pawnee County commissioners on April 13 began formal negotiations with ibV Energy over a proposed solar farm and a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement.
Colton Vaugh, ibV Energy’s lead project developer, told the commissioners the company has leased about 1,040 acres and expects to place solar panels on roughly 850 acres. Rob Saiz, ibV Energy’s executive vice president and chief development officer, said the project is "all generation, no storage," and that the planned transmission line would be shorter than a mile. Commissioners said they want the county to secure the best possible PILOT terms for local residents and asked County Attorney Doug McNett to take the lead on drafting and negotiating the agreement.
Commissioner Miller asked whether ibV had existing PILOT agreements in Kansas and raised routing and acreage questions. Commissioner Rein also pressed for a Road Use Agreement to address county roads during construction and operations; Rob Saiz acknowledged the request and ibV agreed to work with the county. Colton Vaugh said ibV expected to file the permit application that week.
The company and county also discussed operational details important to local oversight—acreage to be affected, transmission routing and road impacts—but no financial terms of a PILOT were disclosed during the meeting. The board referred the matter to County Attorney Doug McNett for continued negotiation and legal review.
