State approves lengthier timeline for Goldfinch Solar project

HASKINS — A solar project in rural Washington County will take longer to build than initially anticipated, after state officials on Monday approved the extension of a formerly two-year deadline to complete construction.

In a request to the Iowa Utilities Commission last month, representatives from the Goldfinch Solar Project said construction hadn’t begun yet, due to “legislative and market constraints,” as well as delays with a pre-construction study.

Representatives from Conifer Power — the developer of the Goldfinch Solar Project — did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

The 200 megawatt array of solar panels, placed on roughly 3,200 acres of leased farmland near Haskins and north of Ainsworth, was initially slated for completion by Nov. 16, 2025. It was not immediately clear how the delayed construction might impact those leases.

The IUC granted that request on Monday, according to the latest filings on Goldfinch’s docket.

In its approval order, the commission struck the two-year deadline, but said the solar project would need to provide “status reports” every six months, until the project’s completion.

“The two-year construction requirement is not imposed by statute or administrative rule,” the order said. “Rather, the Commission created the deadline ‘as a mechanism to ensure that [developers] progress their respective projects towards competition and to ensure that the projects are not abandoned."

The project proved contentious among residents of Washington County when it was first debated by the utilities commission.

After first hitting headlines in August of 2022, the planned solar farm drew criticism from locals who claimed it would trade off with crop production, exploit renewable energy tax credits, and lower nearby property values. Some were skeptical of solar power as a reliable energy source in general.

Advocates, however, have championed the project as an economic boon for Washington County. The array is expected to bring in $10.1 million of tax dollars over its 30-year life span, add sustainable energy generation to the local grid, revitalize rented farmland and power 33,000 homes, according to one economic analysis of the planned solar array.

“Solar projects are economic engines for local economies,” said Tom Swierczewski, the vice president for development at Conifer Power, in a 2022 interview. “This project is going to pay millions of dollars in rent to our land owners, it’s going to create hundreds of construction jobs.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com