A state panel has endorsed Cypress Creek Renewables’ proposal to build a 160-megawatt solar installation in south-central Washington. The company’s projects include a solar installation in North Carolina, pictured. (Courtesy of Cypress Creek Renewables.)

The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council endorsed a solar and battery installation on about 2,000 acres of farmland in south-central Washington, overriding local and tribal opposition.

On June 25, the council’s six state employees outvoted Klickitat County’s lone representative, Matt Chiles, who warned the state’s approval of locally unpopular green projects on farmland will turn rural areas against solar power.

“A lotta, lotta, lotta people in the county feel very run over by this process,” said Chiles, who was appointed to represent the county by county commissioners.

“Nobody has taken a poll, but it’s running really, really, really against solar in our area and probably in a lot of other rural areas like ours, too,” he said.

Cypress Creek Renewables, a California company owned by Swedish investment firm EQT Infrastructure, proposes to install panels and batteries near Goldendale.

EFSEC Chairman Kurt Beckett, Nate Pamplin of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lenny Young of the Department of Natural Resources, Stacey Brewster of the Utilities and Transportation Commission, Elizabeth Osborne of the Department of Commerce and Eli Levitt of the Department of Ecology voted to recommend that Gov. Bob Ferguson approve the project.

“We’re hopeful that Gov. Ferguson will recognize the thoughtful planning and siting of this project and the benefits it provides,” Cypress Creek CEO Sarah Slusser said in a statement.

EFSEC concluded the project would comply with county zoning laws and would not harm the environment.

The Yakama Nation maintains EFSEC should have held formal hearings to hear how the project will intrude on the tribe’s use of adjacent public lands.

Before the vote, Chiles was the only one to talk about the project’s pros and cons. Fears of the batteries catching fire scare county residents the most, he said. “There’s been way too many stories of good, bullet-proof systems going up in flames.”

Cypress has agreed to install a 10,000-gallon water tank on the site. The water won’t be used to put out a fire — the practice is to let the batteries burn. But the water will be sprayed into the air to keep smoke from spreading as far, EFSEC environmental planner Sean Greene said.

Chiles also brought up concerns about noise, lights, emergency evacuations and solar panels placed in a valley visible to many. He was particularly critical that Cypress has no plans to make the installation compatible with farming.

“It is a shame this project is not including agrivoltaics,” he said. “Solar is needed, but agriculture is also needed. And doing solar without agriculture is, unfortunately, very short-sighted.

Raising the panels to allow grazing or crops would have the benefit of putting “farm” into solar farms, Chiles said. “Unless they (Cypress) have a big change of heart in the next few months, it seems unlikely that it’s going to turn out that way.”

Cypress Creek spokeswoman Angeli Chandler said the company has incorporated agrivoltaics on other projects. “It’s something we are exploring as an option for this site,” she said.

EFSEC has authority to endorse projects opposed by counties and tribes. The host county gets one representative. Cypress won state approval in 2023 to build side-by-side solar installations over the opposition of Yakima County.