Montana Ranchers Question Massive Solar Project

Residents near Cheyenne, Montana are expressing concern about a $1.2-billion solar farm project that will provide power to data centers nearby, reports Pat Maio in Cowboy State Daily.

The project will include over 1 million solar panels and a large battery storage system to be built on land leased from local property owners. “The proposed site is on virgin dry prairie grasslands that receive little rainfall and is subject to frequent high winds and hailstorms,” prompting concerns about potential lithium-based fires. The project infrastructure could also damage the fragile grassland ecosystem and have spillover effects on adjacent ranchland, while construction will bring hundreds of trucks through the area over two years. 

According to Paio, “Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council, the governmental body within the Department of Environmental Quality that considers such solar farm project proposals, approved the construction project in March, a 90-day fast track for the concept, which still needs approval from Laramie County commissioners.”