The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) issued an order granting a request for waivers and a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity to Grand Junction Solar, LLC on April 21. The order paves the way for Grand Junction Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Renewals Development, LLC, for a solar electric generating facility and battery energy storage system (BESS) in Junction Township, Greene County.
The project area consists of approximately 1,103 acres approximately five miles west of Jefferson and 0.5 miles south of Grand Junction.
The solar generating facility will total up to 100 megawatts with an associated 50 megawatt BESS.
Grand Junction Solar anticipates the vast majority of the land will house the solar arrays and associated electric generating equipment, with approximately four acres designated for the BESS system, two acres designated for the project substation, and less than one-fourth of an acre designated for the proposed operations and maintenance building.
The solar project will connect to inverters, which will connect to a collector substation. The BESS project will also connect to the collector substation. The solar project substation will be interconnected to the electric grid via a generation-tie line extending to the Karma substation.
The April 21 IUB order requires Grand Junction Solar to file an amendment to its certificate if it chooses to increase the total generating capacity or add to the storage facility in the future. Additionally, a request to transfer the facility to another entity would require IUB approval in accordance with Iowa Code 476A.7(2).
The order also grants Grand Junction Solar’s request to waive a public evidentiary hearing and associated procedural requirements under Iowa law. The order acknowledges that all landowners approved and consented to the use of their land for the proposed project through voluntary easement agreements.
Under Iowa Code chapter 476A, the IUB will issue the certificate with conditions that include filing final design plans with the IUB and showing it has obtained all city and county permits. Grand Junction Solar must also file a status report on progress toward completion of construction every 180 days, and if construction is not completed within two years of the date the permit is issued, the company must file a new application.
Documents regarding Grand Junction Solar’s facility and BESS project are available for review in the IUB’s electronic filing system under Docket No. GCU-2022-0001.
