Laramie County approves permit for Cowboy Solar project

CHEYENNE (WNE) — What will soon be the largest solar farm in Wyoming and one of the largest in the country took another step toward realization in Laramie County this week.

The Laramie County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a land-use plan, site plan and solar energy permit for Cowboy Solar, the $1.2 billion, 771-megawatt project to construct 1.2 million solar panels across 3,845 acres.

Led by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian energy firm, Cowboy Solar projects I and II will be located southeast of Cheyenne, generally in the vicinity of one mile north across the stretch of Chalk Bluff Road immediately east of South Greeley Highway, also known as County Road 203.

Enbridge said construction is slated to begin in 2025, and both phases of the project will be fully operational by 2027. The land is split across three property owners leasing land to Enbridge as part of a 25-year agreement.

The three landowners — the Fogg Family Trust, Dunning Family Trust and Atchison Ranch LLC — were all in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, and each expressed their support for the project.

Patty Epler, one of the owners of Atchison Ranch, said she was initially hesitant about the deal. However, after assurances that the land would be restored to grasslands after 25 years, she was happy to enter a deal with Enbridge.

Ed Prosser, an adjacent property owner to the project, expressed his concerns with the project coming to his neighborhood. His main concern was the potential transportation of 1,700 20-ton lithium ion batteries through Wyoming and to the project site. He cited a recent incident where a truck transporting a similar battery fell and started a fire, closing Interstate 15 for more than 40 hours.

Christian Dick, director of project development for Enbridge, said that it is not yet confirmed whether they will have on-site battery storage, and that is dependent upon the power market dynamics.

This story was published on August 10, 2024.