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Final Decision Issued
On January 16, 2025, the Commission issued a final decision for this project. At the time of final decision, the anticipated start date of construction was first quarter of 2025, with completion by the end of 2028.
Quarterly construction updates and post decision correspondence between the Commission and the Applicant can be found in the corresponding docket reports.
Docket Reports: 9820-CE-100
Village of Plover and Towns of Plover, Buena Vista, and Grant, Portage County, Wisconsin
Docket ID: 9820-CE-100
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity of Vista Sands Solar LLC to Construct the Vista Sands Solar Farm Electric Generation Facility in the Village of Plover and Towns of Plover, Buena Vista, and Grant, Portage County, Wisconsin.
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Application Summary
Overview
Vista Sands Solar LLC (Vista Sands or the applicant), an affiliate of Doral Renewables LLC, is seeking approval to construct a solar energy generating facility with a generating capacity of 1,315.6 MWAC (megawatt alternating current) plus a 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Village of Plover and the towns of Grant, Plover, and Buena Vista in Portage County. The entire project study area that was evaluated is approximately 9,854 acres and the total proposed project area (including solar arrays and associated facilities) would be approximately 7,109.8 acres. The proposed project PV panel area (excluding associated facilities) would be 5,011.7 acres. The applicant also provided 1,590.6 acres of alternative PV panel areas. The BESS and operation and maintenance building would require approximately 5.1 acres. The major components of the proposed project include PV panels, power conversion units, inverters, approximately 318 miles of collector corridors for collector circuits and medium voltage lines, one substation, and a 345 kV overhead gen-tie transmission line of approximately 1,600 feet in length connecting the primary project substation to the point of interconnection. Vista Sands is seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) and all other approvals required to construct the 1,310.4 MWAC project, collector circuits and medium voltage collector lines, BESS, gen-tie line, and other necessary related facilities.
*This information has been updated based on the revised project design submitted to the electronic record filing (ERF) system by the applicant on June 7, 2024.
Applicant stated need
This project is proposed by an independent power producer. Therefore, the need for the project is not reviewed by the Commission.
Estimated cost
This project is proposed by an independent power producer. Therefore, the Commission does not review the project cost. The cost to Wisconsin utilities, and ratepayers, would be reviewed if the facility or power from the facility is purchased by Wisconsin utilities.
Project location
The applicant proposes to construct this project on 6,737 acres of land in the Village of Plover and Towns of Plover, Buena Vista, and Grant, Portage County, Wisconsin.
Proposed schedule
- The applicant submitted the application to the Commission in January 2024.
- If approved, the applicant anticipates construction for this project to begin in March 2025 with an estimated completion date of December 2028.
This is a
Type II action under
Wis. Admin. Code § PSC
4.10(2). Type II actions are proposed actions involving requests for
Commission approval that have the potential to significantly affect the quality of the human environment,
within the meaning of s. 1.11 (2) (c), Wis. Stats. However, under Wis.
Admin. Code § PSC 4.10(1), the
Commission shall also prepare an EIS for actions not listed in Table 1 of Wis. Admin. Code § PSC 4
that
it determines are Type I actions. Staff analysis and public comments received suggested this
project
warrants the preparation of an EIS for significant effects on the human environment.
Key Application Documents
Access Docket 9820-CE-100 in the PSC Case Management System to view additional information.
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Access Docket 9820-CE-100
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