Elbert County approves Shepherd Solar permits in 2-1 vote

Elbert County commissioners approved Shepherd Solar LLC’s Major 1041 and special-use applications 2-1 on Oct. 14, after reopening the hearing to discuss water use. Commissioners Dallas Schroeder and Byron McDaniel voted in favor; Mike Buck opposed, the action minutes record.

The approvals do not authorize construction until required conditions are met. Both require an executed road-use agreement with Public Works before on-site construction and final plans submitted to Public Works and Public Health before construction permits are completed. The Major 1041 approval also requires financial security for the county. The special-use approval depends on the Major 1041 approval. The written resolutions also require fees to be paid and documents to be recorded within 180 days; the permits do not take effect until their applicable conditions are met.

During the reopened hearing, the applicant told commissioners it had continued discussions with the Town of Simla and that both sides were comfortable with water use during construction and the project’s operation, the minutes say. In an Oct. 13 memo, Shepherd Solar estimated construction would use about 408 acre-feet total over 18 to 24 months, mainly for dust suppression, and operations about 2 acre-feet per year. The memo described Simla as a preferred potential supplier but said discussions were ongoing. An earlier applicant response estimated construction use at 365 to 730 acre-feet per year and operations at 22.6 acre-feet per year. These are applicant estimates, not water limits in the approval resolutions.

The application projected construction mobilization in October 2028 and commercial operation in October 2030. Those dates are applicant projections, not deadlines in the approval conditions.