Public speaks on solar project

Last week’s meeting of the Young County Commissioners Court saw the group table a tax abatement and allow public comments regarding a solar project nine miles west of Eliasville.

The Tapaderos Solar project is a 300 megawatt solar power facility with 200 megawatts of battery energy storage with an estimated investment of approximately $264.4 million.

Robert Pena of Texas Energy Consultants, which serves as the advising firm for developer Titus Low Carbon Ventures, spoke and answered questions during the meeting Monday, Feb. 24.

“The landowners have accepted a lease agreement with the company, and they are working already towards their development process,” he said. “That development process includes interconnection requests with ERCOT and the Public Utilities Commission, as well as their studies would include environmental impact, environmental assessments and other studies that are required by rule in order for the solar project to be constructed.”

Pena spoke about energy demand increasing throughout the state and that data centers are moving into the metroplex and other portions of the state.

“They’re one of the biggest demand users of energy currently in the state of Texas also. That is who Titus would like to propose the sale of this energy to,” he said. “In fact, they are working to try to promote the sale of the power to a user like a data center or a large consumer of the energy. It might well be a utility also, but nevertheless, they are open to many of those particular options.”

A positive for the project is that the battery energy storage system could help sustain the power grid at a local level due to the immediate power of the battery going into the grid and being consumed locally.

Arwin Johnson, of Murray Volunteer Fire Department, who lives less than half a mile from the eastern boundary of the project, wanted to know about the location of the batteries and the fire suppression and cooling system in the battery storage container.

“Typically in these developments, you may see within the maps that the boundary may go to the edge of the property, but not necessarily the development does,” Pena said. “We’re just showing what’s been leased by legal description at this point. There’s still a lot of brush in their area that will be utilized as buffers and for site visual reduction purposes, that is the intent of the company.”

Pena said they could provide equipment and training programs for the area volunteer fire departments to respond to a battery or solar situation. He said the battery is in a container with a fire suppression system installed.

An independent environmental impact study will take eight to 12 months to complete and incorporates seasons and natural wildlife. 

“I would say with the pending environmental impact study and the other things that (Pena’s) brought up, I would encourage the commissioners to at least table this abatement, if not turn it down until they can provide those environmental impacts and what do to our part of the county,” Arwin Johnson said.

The project will utilize around 1,400 of the 2,200 acres with the other portion serving as a buffer zone. The purpose of the study is to understand the impact and try to better the habitat. 

“Once we understand the impact of the wildlife, then we also create wildlife corridors so that any ground animals can traverse appropriately and not be detained or completely removed,” Pena said.

The panels for the solar farm will be nonreflective and when the company goes through Federal Aviation Administration reviews it has to prove how the non-glare, non-reflective panel is non-evasive for aircraft or flying animals.

Jarod Cook, Young County liaison with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, spoke about getting emergency operation procedures for response at the solar farm. Cook said the county is required by law to have an emergency plan and must include this project to show what hazards could be present.

“Typically, the emergency operation procedures are going to come when the design has already been created and done,” Pena said. “…Even before they start construction, when they will come to the county and start setting forth, they’ll come forward, have that discussion (on design) and then, before construction starts, have another discussion... and then even have an emergency response plan for construction.”

Murray VFD member and retired schoolteacher Cookee Johnson was against the project. Her concerns were about future use of the land for her grandchildren, damage to the roads and fire response.

“Every single dollar we have with the Murray Fire Department is a donation. ...We get nothing from the county. ...So if there’s a fire, Murray’s going to be the one to respond and our trucks are in short supply,” she said. “We just got a brand new truck and we only get those brand new trucks because of those fundraisers that we have.”

Cookee Johnson additionally had concerns regarding tornadic and hail weather in Young County. Pena said their weather study is part of the development process.

“It’s no different than West Texas when there’s strong winds and tornadoes or in Knox County, where this company is developing... as well,” Pena said. “I can tell you that these systems have a weather system embedded in place to be notified of major events, tornadic activity or high winds, and then the response of those systems kicks in so that the solar panels are levelized, so that the wind flow goes right through them, as opposed to be that angle that can rip them right off.”

Another concern was raised regarding fires at the facility and Pena said the only thing that might cause a fire would be a transformer.

“It would be identified to determine who owned that transformer. If it was on a substation, it could be the utility. If it was a transformer to the solar project, then the solar project would be responsible, and they have their insurance in place and everything,” he said.

Young County Judge Win Graham asked about a cleanup bond for the county if the project does not come to fruition. Pena said it is provided to the landowners who serve as the title owners of the land.

“When the project is completed, let’s say 30 or 35 years from now, the bonds go in and remove all the facilities off the land, then the landowner and the company work with the appraisal district to conduct a review and get that back into ag value,” he said.

The county judge announced in January that he had a conflict of interest with the project which would prevent him from voting on future items relating to the solar farm.

“I need to disclose to the court that my family owns a significant portion of the minerals underneath this solar farm and we did sign a surface waiver agreement with them that would result if they build this farm,” Graham said in January.

Commissioner Stacy Creswell raised concerns about the road conditions when construction begins on the project. 

“When it does near construction, the company will be required to submit their traffic plan to TxDOT for review and approval,” Pena said. “At that point, then TxDOT is the one who’s going to dictate which roads will be utilized up to the point of a county road, if any. Then once we get to a county road, we’re going to work with (the commissioners) on that process.”

The county is seeking legal counsel from Allison, Bass & McGee, which will be reimbursed by the company, regarding the reinvestment zone for the project and waiting for the environmental study.