By Hannah Grover
Opponents of a controversial East Mountains solar project hope the Sandoval County Planning and Zoning Commission will reconsider its recommendation to approve a zoning change needed to move the project forward.
Opponents, including the Turquoise Trail Regional Alliance and the East Mountain Protection Alliance Coalition, filed appeals following the board’s December meeting, when it voted to recommend zone change for the Diamond Tail solar project.
Sandoval County is hosting another public hearing meeting Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. in the Sandoval County Admin Building (1500 Idalia Road, Bernalillo).
Daniel Beaman, the director of Sandoval County Planning and Zoning, said the county commission will review and rule on the hearings, and the county has 30 days from the filing of an appeal to issue a ruling. The appeals were filed in early January.
Beaman said appellants can learn about the county’s decision by either attending or streaming the meeting or by reviewing the meeting minutes.
The Diamond Tail solar project would consist of a 220-megawatt array plus 110 megawatts of four-hour battery storage. It represents a $450 million investment in the community and could contribute to grid reliability and economic development.
However, the area where the solar farm would be built is currently zoned for agricultural use and doesn’t allow for generation facilities.
Nearby residents are concerned primarily about the potential that battery storage could catch fire as was seen this month at Moss Landing in California. While battery storage fires are rare, they tend to gain a lot of attention.
But the concerns don’t stop with fire danger. Opponents say the solar project could impact views, water and traffic.
These were all concerns they presented during the hearing and are rehashed in the appeal documents. Those concerns alone won’t be enough to convince the Sandoval County Commission to grant the appeals though. Instead, opponents based the appeals on alleged abuse of discretion and other procedural complaints. Those concerns include the denial of a request to postpone the meeting and allegations that the developer PCR U.S. Investments was allowed to file evidence late, leading up to the meeting. The opponents say they were not able to properly review the late-filed information.
A hearing has not yet been scheduled for the appeals, nor has the county scheduled a commission meeting to rule on the zoning change.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the County Commission approve the zone change, but the governing body is not bound by that recommendation.
If the County Commission approves the zone change, PCR still has several more hurdles to clear before the Diamond Tail project can become a reality.
PCR has not yet secured a customer to purchase the power that Diamond Tail solar is expected to generate. The company said it is pursuing a contract with the Public Service Company of New Mexico, which is currently accepting proposals for future energy generation. Any power purchase or energy storage agreement with PNM would require approval by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.