Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Hermiston Herald and is part of a content-sharing partnership between Northeast Oregon Now and the Hermiston Herald.
Umatilla County could get a new solar power generating site on exclusive farm use land near Hermiston and Stanfield.
EE West End Solar, LLC., a subsidiary of Eurus Solar Holdings LLC, is looking to build a 50-99 megawatt solar power generating facility, including a 70 megawatt lithium ion energy storage system, on 324 acres approximately 1 mile east of Hermiston and 1 mile north of Stanfield. The Energy Facility Siting Council meets Friday, Dec. 16, to hold a public hearing to consider a site certificate to allow the design, construction and operation of the project, plus its eventual retirement.
According to the draft of the EFSC’s proposal to grant the on certificate, the Oregon Department of Energy on Dec. 4, 2020, received a request for an expedited review for the West End Solar Project. After a review, the department on Dec. 17, 2020, granted the request.
During the meeting, senior siting analyst Kellen Tardaewether is presenting the staff report on the order for the West End Solar site certificate. The presentation includes an overview of standards, issues raised in comments received on the record for the certificate order and responses from the applicant.
The facility siting council at the meeting also considers a request to transfer ownership of the Stateline Wind Project in northern Umatilla County near the Washington border.
Florida Power & Light, a division on NextEra Energy Resources LLC, owns and operates Stateline, which consists of separate geographic units: Stateline 1 & 2 and Vansycle II.
Stateline 1 & 2 has 186 wind turbines and a peak generating capacity 123 megawatts, according to the Oregon Department of Energy. Vansycle II consists of 42 wind turbines with a peak generating capacity of 99 megawatts and has approval for up to 45 wind turbines with a peak generating capacity of 119 megawatts.
Oregon DOE on Nov. 28 received a request to transfer ownership of the Vansycle II facility components from FPL Energy Stateline II Inc. to Vansycle II Wind LLC. Sarah Esterson, senior policy advisor, and staff at the meeting are presenting the review of the transfer request and comments regarding it. The council then votes to approve or deny the transfer request.
