The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council overrode Benton County’s farmland-preservation law and voted Nov. 20 to recommend Washington Gov. Jay Inslee permit a solar project on 3,000 acres of agricultural land.

The Wautoma solar project, with a maximum capacity of 470 megawatts, would be one of Washington’s larger solar installations. Although opposed by the county, the proposal received little other opposition.

Solar panels and batteries would be in a remote valley about 40 miles west of the Tri-Cities in southeast Washington. A declining aquifer is making farming less viable, according to landowners.

Innergex Renewable Energy, which is based in Canada, plans to connect to a nearby Bonneville Power Administration transmission line. EFSEC approved the project unanimously.

“Overall, this is a very well put together application,” EFSEC Chairwoman Kathleen Drew said.

The county asked EFSEC to reject the project. The county opposes large-scale wind and solar projects on farmland. The county also opposed the larger Horse Heavens wind and solar project 4 miles from the Tri-Cities.

EFSEC acknowledged it was preempting the county’s land-use law, but decided the need for renewable energy was more important.

Four brothers who own most of the land Innergex will lease were the only ones to speak at a hearing in October on whether to preempt the county’s law. The ranch will continue to have cattle and dryland crops, they said.

“I’m 71 years old. It would be nice if the solar went in. We’d have steady income for the next 25 years,” said one of the brothers, Robin Robert.

Innergex anticipates installing about 1.3 million panels, according to EFSEC documents. Each panel would be about 6 1/2-feet long and 4-feet wide.

Innergex operates 89 renewable energy facilities in Canada, the U.S., France and Chile.