Decatur Solar Expansion Project Continues with Modification to Site Plan
The OPALCO Board held a special board meeting on Tuesday, April 21 to discuss the Decatur Community Solar project and determine next steps. In a 5-2 vote, the OPALCO Board approved a motion to proceed with the project and not modify the Native Growth Area Covenant. The OPALCO project is still awaiting the results of the Conditional Use Permit, which will provide guidance on what will be legally allowed on the project site.
In March 2025, OPALCO acquired property next to OPALCO’s substation to install utility-scale solar to serve San Juan County. OPALCO is the recipient of $1M of grant funds for a solar array to support low-income energy assistance programs and part of this project will utilize those funds. The proposed project is a ~1.8MW AC solar array. The project will be Community Solar which means OPALCO members can buy shares and get bill credits for the amount of the project purchased.
This project is adjacent to OPALCO’s original Decatur Community Solar project that was installed in 2017. That project began harvesting energy in July of 2018. It produces around 570,000 kWh annually. Approximately 270 OPALCO members own shares in this project. Members who bought shares in this project have received their full return on investment. The project was able to leverage grants and incentives to reduce the amount of time it took to get that return.
At the regular Board meeting on April 16th the Board dedicated time to get a comprehensive update on the status of the Decatur Solar Expansion and to give members extended time to make comments on the project. Then the team hosted a special meeting to be able to discuss amongst the Board next steps for staff. Board comments included:
- The problem OPALCO is facing meeting future power supply and the need to plan now for the inevitable shortfalls.
- The need to see the outcome of the Hearing Examiner and required legal conditions to getting the Conditional Use Permit.
- There was hesitation expressed about removing trees for this project.
- The organization has guiding documents like the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) they use to guide their strategic decision making for projects like this.
- The Board assured the public that they have reviewed all of the comments submitted and that they may not always agree but they are committed to respectful dialogue when making these tough decisions.
Members can find the full video of the special meeting at: https://www.opalco.com/about-community/document-library/#rlfboardmeetingsandmaterialsvideorecordingsofmeetings
The Board voted to have staff continue to move forward on the project while OPALCO awaits further guidance from the County permitting process. The next steps will be to submit the building permit and the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Construction Stormwater General Permit Application. To date, OPALCO has completed the Critical Areas and Wetland Delineation Report, NEPA, SEPA, Clearing and Grading Checklist, Stormwater Plan, Landscaping Plan, Cultural Resources Assessment, and the Land Use Checklist. Members can find these reports and lots of other information about the project here: www.opalco.com/decatur.
