A major green energy company proposed a $1.2 billion solar farm near Laramie, Wyoming. When completed, the farm will have around 1.2 million solar panels. However, the proposal does not come without controversy as landowners and environmentalists have expressed concerns about its impact on the land.
The project is part of a larger effort in a surge of solar power coming to the West. In the coming months, efforts to install more sustainable energy infrastructure in the United States in places like Wyoming, Arizona and California are scheduled to begin.
However, one solar farm proposed in the Cowboy State would be around 5,200 acres or about the size of 4,000 football fields. Even though the project could power thousands of homes, locals may not be reaping the benefits. Additionally, environmentalists raised habitat concerns.
In order to make the $1.2 billion farm a reality, builders will carve up natural grass and farmland. The company behind the project is energy giant Enbridge, which is based out of Alberta, Canada. Enbridge hopes to begin construction in March of 2025.
The necessary construction work is something that environmentalists said could disrupt migration paths. Some environmental experts fear that the land-grab in Wyoming could lead to a domino effect with other companies looking to take advantage of tax credits offered by the Biden administration to develop renewable energy in the state.
The development of more solar projects in Wyoming is part of President Joe Biden’s “Western Solar Plan.” The plan involves more than half a dozen western states.
As for Wyoming’s solar farm, the local county board still needs to approve the plan. Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Quality approved the project in March but set some parameters. As part of the approval, Enbridge must meet 29 conditions before work can begin on the actual construction of the solar farm.
A point of contention for locals in the area is that the energy company’s application designates power from the solar farm will go to corporate customers, not homeowners. It relates to a subject Straight Arrow News touched on: the significant energy demand from massive data centers.
Some who live on the scenic land spoke out, arguing that the beauty of their state is in jeopardy.
“My concern is that the grazing land will now be converted to industrial, and during construction, hundreds of cars will drive over these roads,” Ed Prosser, a rancher in the area, said.
The solar farm consists of two stages of construction. Builders expect to complete the first phase of the solar project in 2026 and the second part in 2027. The effort will include two 133-megawatt battery-storage facilities.