Elk Creek Solar files application with Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
TOWN OF SPRING BROOK — Elk Creek Solar has now filed a formal application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build a 300-megawatt solar generating facility with a 76.6 megawatt battery storage system on 2,500 acres in the Town of Spring Brook.
All documents filed in association with the application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) submitted on October 17, 2022, are available for the public to review on the PSC’s website.
Elk Creek Solar is owned by Tyr Energy Development Renewables LLC (TED Renewables).
Elk Creek Solar could be placed into service as early as the fall of 2025, according to the application.
The proposed project area in the Town of Spring Brook has a primary facility area located on Sections 8, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 28, and an alternate facility area in Sections 29, 31, 32 and 33.
The entire project area covers approximately 2,523 acres, and the solar array for the primary facility area covers about 2,024 acres, the application states.
The alternate facility area covers about 499 acres. The substation and an operations and maintenance building are expected to be part of the primary facility area.
The primary facility area is designed for 764,504 individual photovoltaic panels, while the alternate facility area is designed for 177,242 photovoltaic panels.
According to the application, TED Renewables anticipates owning and operating the project, although the ownership of Elk Creek Solar may be transferred to a utility company or independent power producer at some point in the future.
A list of more than 20 factors and site characteristics were considering during the process of site selection, including the amount of sun available, location of existing substations and transmission lines suitable for interconnection, land availability and infrastructure, site topography and slopes, and transportation infrastructure.
The life of the solar project is expected to be 35 years, with the possibility of an extension.
Land for the solar project will be leased from Doane Limited.
Land available
Large tracts of land that are relatively flat and undeveloped are typically used for utility-scale solar projects. Since the land is already cleared and is fairly flat, that minimizes the impacts from shading and the need to cut down trees, the application states.
The land in the project area is largely agricultural land that has been in production for decades. Crops include beans, corn, and horseradish.
Nearby roads and highways, including county Highway E and 810th Street, are suitable for the delivery of equipment and materials during construction.
Minimal grading will be needed for site preparation.
Environmental factors such as wetlands, waterways, wildlife habitat, threatened and endangered species and hydric soils were part of the consideration for site selection.
Third-party desktop and field studies determined that the project area has few environmental factors and impacts, and where impacts exist, they can be avoided or minimized by where the infrastructure is placed, according to the application.
There are no acres under Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Managed Forest Law (MFL) or Farmland Preservation Agreements (FPA) in the project area, and none of the acreage is public land in the project area.
No existing utility-scale wind or solar power renewable energy facilities are currently located in Dunn County, the application notes.
The project is designed to maintain 100-foot setbacks from existing residences and other inhabitable structures, 29-foot setbacks from non-inhabitable structures, 100-foot setbacks from property lines, 150-foot setbacks from road centerlines, 50-foot setbacks from above-ground storage tanks, 75-foot setbacks from the ordinary high water mark for waterways to access roads, and 50-foot setbacks from delineated wetland boundaries to access roads.
Land leases
The application lists approximately 60 signed lease options with Doane Limited (Chippewa Valley Bean, a producer of dark red kidney beans), and one signed purchase option with Clara L. Sletner.
The project is expected to operate for at least 35 years based on current forecasts for modern equipment, and at the end of the project life, Elk Creek Solar will assess whether to cease operations and decommission or to replace equipment and extend the life of the project.
The majority of the decommissioned equipment and materials will be recycled, and materials that cannot be recycled will be disposed of at approved facilities, according to the application.
Decommissioning will take approximately one year, and would include dismantling and removal of all above-ground equipment and cabling, underground cabling within three feet of the surface and foundations such as piles, piers and posts as well as scarification of compacted areas, such as internal and external access roadways.
The landowner will not be responsible for decommissioning costs, according to the application.
Permits
Regarding permits required in addition to the CPCN from the Wisconsin PSC, the Elk Creek Solar project does not require permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The project does require notification of construction or alteration to the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA) (nine airports are located with 10 miles of the proposed solar project), which was completed in January of 2020.
The project requires a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) or stormwater runoff permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which is anticipated in late 2023.
Elk Creek Solar also requires coordination with the DNR concerning the Wisconsin Endangered Species Law, which was completed in October of 2021.
A permit for heavy and oversized loads is required from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and is anticipated in the spring of 2023.
Local permits required will include Dunn County shoreland zoning, a single trip permit from Dunn County and a driveway access permit from Dunn County, all anticipated in the spring of 2023.
A driveway permit and a building permit will be required from the Town of Spring Brook and are anticipated in the spring of 2023.
Construction on the project could start this fall, with the solar panels being installed by the summer of 2024. The project is expected to be commissioned by end of 2024, with an inservice date in 2025.
Muddy Creek Wildlife Area is located adjacent to the northern boundary of the project area, and Dunnville Wildlife area is 3.6 miles to the southwest along the Chippewa River.
The lower Chippewa River State Natural Area is south of the project area, adjacent to the Chippewa River, about three-quarters of a mile away at the closest point.
Public comments
The PSC received nearly 30 public comments during the public comment period from November 18 to December 9.
The majority of the comments expressed support for the Elk Creek Solar Project, although several expressed concern about property values in the area, decommissioning and the manufacturing process for the solar panels.
To review the documents filed for the Elk Creek Solar Project, visit the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s website at www.psc.wi.gov.
Go to the E-service link at the top of the page and click on the “docket search link.”
Search for Elk Creek Solar or type in the docket number of 9819-CE-100.
The PSC has not yet scheduled a public hearing for the Elk Creek Solar Project.
Public hearings and meetings may be accessed by Zoom or by livestream.
Recordings of the PSC’s in-person public meetings also are available for subsequent viewing on the PSC’s YouTube channel.
