NextEra Energy encountered another delay in its proposed controversial Solar farm project near Enid as Garfield County Commissioners voted this week to table six floodplain permits for the project.
It was a unanimous decision as county commissioners heard complaints from residents who oppose the Skeleton Creek solar project. The project entails 5,000 acres of solar panels and lithium batteries for storage. NextEra first unveiled plans in 2021 and indicated the proposed site would be immediately at Enid’s southeast side.
Residents immediately pounced on the solar project claiming it would have “extremely damaging” effects on the environment as one woman described it during an Enid city commission meeting held in March.
“Besides the damage done to the earth to collect the rare elements to make the panels,” said Patricia Shaw, “the most damaging will be to the people who live there and go to
school near the site. Their farmland will be less productive, property values will go down, and there is significant risk and
harm from a battery fire that will threaten lives, including Enid.”
Many of the residents complained of secrecy of the project and of worries about lithium battery fires. They were critical of the huge amount of water needed to fight such blazes.
Still other residents came out against the solar project because of it being on the flight path of pilots training at Vance Air Force Base. One resident, Scott Jenson, told city commissioners, “I got two questions for you: What’s more important to you? Out-of-state money or protecting the rights, safety and voices of the people that live here.”
In filing an application with the federal government three years ago, NextEra indicated, “Solar panels and trackers have not yet been selected for the project and will be part of late stage design; therefore, no technical specification sheets can be provided at this time.”
The company also indicated it would seek a loan from the USDA to move ahead with Skeleton Creek.
“Skeleton Creek Energy Center, LLC (the Applicant), a wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, intends to construct the Skeleton Creek Solar and Battery Storage Project (Project) on approximately 2,472 acres of privately owned land in Garfield County, Oklahoma. The Project would consist of a 250-megawatt (MW) solar array with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and a 200-MW lithiumion battery storage system with a capacity of approximately 800 megawatt-hours (MWh). Energy generated from these components would be transferred by a 1-mile-long 345-kilovolt (kV) generation tie (gen-tie) transmission line to the Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) 345-kV Woodring Substation for use by the energy buyer, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC).”
