I'm not aware of any proposal near here.
Where is the proposed location?
Bigz
There is a FB group ‘Discussion on the Cloverleaf Solar Project’. In the end it will be over 1500 acres.
Published June 22, 2023: Waupaca County Post
Solar energy facility proposed in Waupaca County
Would be located in Larrabee and Matteson
By Bert Lehman
Staff Reporter
CLINTONVILLE – Information about a proposed 250-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generating facility in Larrabee and Matteson was shared with attendees of an informational meeting held at the Clintonville Community Center May 22.
The informational meeting was hosted by NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which is looking to build the solar energy generating facility. The company is located in Juno Beach, Florida.
In addition to the proposed 250-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generating facility, the site would also include a proposed 125-megawatt battery energy storage system.
Two representatives from NextEra Energy spoke with the Clintonville Tribune-Gazette about the proposed project.
Danilo Cabrera, project director development for NextEra Energy, said it is not yet known how many acres of land the site would include, as the company is still in the process of securing land to lease for the project. He said the proposed facility would be in Larrabee and Matteson.
“When projects are selected, there’s usually a couple of fundamental things that take place,” Cabrera said. “One, connection to the grid. We have to have a point of interconnection, and here we have one. Two, there has to be a customer in the area, normally the customers are utilities customers. We have that in the area as well. And the last thing is land available. Typically, pretty flat is what would benefit from a solar farm.
“We have a team that does the prospecting. They identify, they start talking to landowners seeing if they can secure some land, if there’s interest. Then they determine if it is a viable area, and they continue with it.”
Cabrera said the goal of the informational meeting was to “share benefits about the project.”
“There’s a lot of questions when you hear about solar projects,” he said. “What is it about? That’s why we’re here, our availability to answer any questions, any concerns you may have. There is a lot of misinformation out there, so we want to clear everything up.”
When asked what misinformation is out there, Cabrera responded, “You can Google it, there is so much.”
Naomi Morrison, resources spokesperson for NextEra Energy, said one of the benefits of the proposed facility would be additional tax revenue for the community.
According to information sheets handed out at the meeting, the facility would be expected to generate approximately $25 million in additional tax revenue for the community over the first 25 years of the project, and would represent a potential $430 million capital investment. During construction, 250 construction jobs would be generated. The facility would create no water or air pollution, and wouldn’t use water to generate electricity.
Cabrera said the proposed project would also provide income to the owners of the land being leased by NextEra Energy.
Morrison claimed that NextEra Energy would pay for the construction of the facility, and landowners that land is leased from wouldn’t have to pay for anything.
She added that NextEra Energy has a solar site in Manitowoc County – Point Beach Solar Energy Center. It also has a wind project in Dodge County.
Cabrera said the company is also constructing a solar project in Grant County.
Timeline
Cabrera acknowledged that it is still early in the proposed project’s timeline. He said the company is still trying to secure land leases for the project. After land leases are secured, then the company would seek the proper permits to construct the facility, which can take a year or more. After the permits are secured, then construction would begin. According to the information sheets handed out, the proposed facility would begin commercial operation in 2026, pending local and state approvals.
“I think what’s important to note is that right now we’re going through the permitting process with the state of Wisconsin,” Morrison said.
Cabrera added, “And we’ve communicated with some of the city commissioners, the city manager. We’ve connected with the Chamber of Commerce and other non-profit organizations, so they’ve been aware. We’ve been in communication with them over the last several months.”
Clintonville City Administrator Caz Muske told the Tribune-Gazette that NextEra Energy has been in contact with the city of Clintonville. She said that the city of Clintonville currently has no agreements with the company.
If the proposed facility is constructed, Cabrera said energy generated at the facility would be added to the electric grid through an electrical substation.
“Whoever owns that substation, we would work with them on an agreement,” Morrison said.
Muske said the city of Clintonville and Shawano Electric Utilities, which make up Badger Power Marketing Authority, did meet with NextEra Energy on March 14 “to better understand their business model and to ensure it meets all state laws.”
“Additionally, NextEra was informed of the application process to interconnect,” Muske said.
