Oregon:Commissioners to vote on 94-acre farm-land solar project

A proposed solar project could be developed on 94 acres of high-value farm land east of Klamath Community College and south of Olene.Klamath County commissioners plan to vote in early January on whether or not to grant Santa Monica, Calif. company Cypress Creek Renewables a permit to build the solar farm, which is called the Merrill Solar project. The project would generate about 10 megawatts of energy, said county planning director Mark Gallagher, powering roughly 2,000 homes annually.The proposed site is on high-value land exclusively zoned for agricultural use. Oregon statewide planning goals stipulate that counties must “preserve and maintain” these lands for farming use. Any non-agriculture project on zoned farmland — like a 94-acre solar farm — must be granted a special county exemption by the county.