The Diamond Solar Energy Project would include more than 400,000 solar panels — enough to power around 40,000 homes, more than all the households in Klamath County.
County Planner Justin Throne said it will also benefit the local economy.
“It will be a boon to the county to have it, as far as increased taxes," he said.
The project is expected to generate about $2 million in yearly tax revenue.
Some planning commission members raised concerns about the fire risks posed by the project's battery storage systems, which store excess power during the day. The commission approved the plan but required on-site water storage and emergency access for firefighters.
To help limit habitat disruption, the project will include a 600-foot-wide wildlife corridor. Mike Moore, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the developer has described the land as degraded and of little use.
“ODFW doesn't agree with that," Moore said. "I think the habitat value of the landscape is underrepresented.”
In addition to the wildlife corridor, the developer, Invenergy, plans to create a 1,900-acre conservation area east of the project to offset the land it's developing.
Both the solar farm and the conservation area sit on land owned by Shanda Group, a private investment firm founded by Chinese billionaire Tianqiao Chen, the second-largest foreign owner of U.S. land. Some U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about Chen's land holdings, citing his reported connections to China's government.
County commissioners say the solar farm could help establish Klamath County as an energy hub and attrract more projects in the future.
Invenergy expects to bring the project online by the end of 2029.
