Meeting on Summit Lake solar project scheduled for Thursday

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) and Minnesota Department of Commerce will host a public information and environmental assessment scoping meetings on the joint site permit application for a solar energy generating system planned for Nobles County. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Worthington Events Center.

Summit Lake Solar, LLC (Summit Lake), a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Renewables Development, LLC (NG Renewables), is planning an energy generating system that's proposed to have an up to 200-megawatt alternating current (MWac) nameplate capacity and a standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) that will have an up to 200-megawatt (MW)/ 800-megawatt hour (MWh) nameplate capacity.

Summit Lake has obtained leases or purchase options for approximately 1,990 acres of privately owned land. The project will cover approximately 1,482 acres of the 1,990-acre footprint in Elk and Summit Lake townships in Nobles County. The project’s main components include but are not limited to, solar modules, a tracking system, inverters, fencing, access roads, an electrical collection system, lighting, a substation, a 1,100-foot 345-kilovolt transmission line, a lithium ion-based BESS, an operation and maintenance building, and a parking area.