The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved site permits for a big solar power generation and energy storage project in rural Martin County in the southern part of the state.

The Lake Charlotte Solar project would generate 150 megawatts of solar electricity and it would store 600 megawatt hours of power in a batter energy storage system in Rutland Township in Martin County. It would be built by Geronimo Power on more than 1,000 acres of land in the township.

Supporters of the project say it will help Minnesota meet the state’s clean energy mandate that will require 100 percent of the state’s electricity to be generated by carbon free sources by 2040.

“I look forward to the project being constructed in a way that will help Minnesotans realize the benefits of having more clean energy on our grid overall, and will maximize benefits to Minnesota workers to bring the economic benefits of the project to Minnesotans,” said Katie Sieban, chair of the PUC during Thursday’s meeting.

Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2027, while operations aren’t anticipated to start up until the fourth quarter of 2029, according to project documents, and the total capital cost for the entire project is estimated to range between $360 million to $435 million.

The project’s planning documents also indicate that the site will generate an estimated $358,000 in tax revenue per year over 30 years, with about $287,000 a year going to Martin County and $71,700 per year will be paid to Rutland Township. Lease and purchase payments to landowners would offset losses from removing land from agricultural use.

Some residents who live near the site of the Lake Charlotte Solar project voiced opposition to the green energy power plant and battery storage facility being built near their homes in the public comment portion of the PUC meeting. They and some other county residents have shared concerns about the project’s potential impacts to farmland, the local agricultural economy, the environment and wildlife. They’ve also raised concerns that the solar power and battery facility may reduce property values and increase fire risks.

“I don’t see this project providing any type of business opportunity for our community,” wrote Kathy Meixell, a resident of Martin County in public comments submitted to the PUC. “It is a sad day for Martin County, Minnesota and [the United States] to see that it is more important to fund our pockets than provide a safe, beautiful land free of ‘clutter’ that has the possibility to create more problems than solutions.”

But others spoke out and submitted comments in support of the project, including labor unions such as LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, and IBEW Local 343, which submitted a joint comment.

“Lake Charlotte Solar has potential to deliver significant energy and socioeconomic benefits, including ongoing employment and career opportunities for IBEW and LIUNA members that have helped to build recent wind projects in Southwest Minnesota,” the comment reads. “We look forward to working with Geronimo to build the project and realize those benefits.”

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