🎙 Williams: Solar facility could have positive economic impact on Ellis County

Reporter Cristina Janney speaks with Doug Williams of Grow Hays about the potential economic impacts of the proposed Tallgrass solar development in Ellis County.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

In an interview on the Hays Morning Blend on Friday, Doug Williams of Grow Hays said he thought the proposed Tallgrass solar facility could have a positive economic impact on Ellis County.

Developer ibV has requested a conditional-use permit from the county to locate the $275 million solar facility on pasture land in the southwest portion of the county.

"It would have a very positive impact on the community here in Ellis County, economically," Williams said, "from a number of aspects."

The county commission is negotiating with ibV for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement for the first 10 years the project is operational.

IbV expects the facility's lifespan to be about 35 years.

Those negotiations are ongoing, but the agreement could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars based on a similar agreement made with the Buckeye Wind Farm.

After 10 years, the facility would return to the tax rolls. Property taxes on the facility would be collected locally by the county, the Hays school district and the rural fire district.

Strategic Economic Research developed an economic impact study for ibV, estimating that 148 new jobs would be created locally during construction and 17 in the long term, which Williams said would benefit the local economy.

"All those things have a good impact on our local economy and are really things that we are looking at bringing into our community," Williams said.

"I know there has been some pushback and concern about different aspects," he said.

However, he noted the wind farms in this area were also controversial when they were built.

Williams acknowledged residents have expressed concerns about the facility's ecological impacts.

He said the facility will have weather monitoring and the ability to tilt the solar panels to minimize hail damage.

"I think the ecological imapct are rather minor," he said.

"For 100 years, we have been pumping oil in this community. We are the No. 1 oil-producing community in the state of Kansas. Think about the economic impact that oil has had on this community over the last 100 years."

Landowners receive royalties, and operators and service companies earn profits.

"It's massive," Williams said. "Certainly, there are some ecological issues of oil production. That is one of the things that comes with it.

"I certainly hope the county gets behind it, and this occurs because it could be another project among many we have going on in the county right now."

If the county approves the ibV permit, the developer estimates construction on the project will begin in 2027, with about 18 months until completion in 2028.

"This is obviously not a new technology, but we have a great appetite for energy in this country," Williams said. "What we have out in this neck of the woods is sunshine and wind, and under the ground, we have oil.

"Being an exporter of energy and employing people locally to produce that service and that product, I think, is a definite win for Ellis County."

IbV is negotiating with the county to establish an escrow account to pay for road repairs or improvements required by the construction of the facility. A bond will also be required to cover the cost of decommissioning the site.

"From what I have watched and their copious answering of questions, they really addressed all of the questions, and it really gets down to there are certain people who would prefer it not to be here," Williams said.

"It's their right to prefer that, but I think, in the long run, from an economic standpoint, we would be well-served by projects like this."

IbV has scheduled two open houses for the proposed solar facility on Thursday, Jan. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Gella’s venue room.

This will be in a station-type setting where community members can engage directly with the Tallgrass Development team on specific areas of interest, such as engineering, environmental, community benefits and solar technology.