State permitting is underway on the western edge of Morrow County for what may become Oregon’s largest solar farm.

Invenergy LLC, a development company based in Chicago, has proposed building the Boardman Solar Energy Facility, a sprawling 600-acre array that would generate roughly 75 megawatts of electricity. If approved, the project would increase overall solar energy production statewide by nearly 30 percent.

But first, Invenergy needs to obtain a site certificate from the Oregon Department of Energy. The company submitted its preliminary application in January. Regulators also approved Invenergy’s request for an expedited review, which allows developers to skip filing a Notice of Intent for facilities producing less than 100 megawatts.

Katie Clifford, siting analyst for the Department of Energy, said the next step is to issue a draft proposed order that will include a staff recommendation to the Energy Facility Siting Council, which has final say on the site certificate. The public will also be invited to weigh in with comments.

Laura Miner, a development manager for Invenergy who works out of Portland, said the Boardman facility will be located on land leased from Threemile Canyon Farms south of Interstate 84 and along the county line separating Morrow and Gilliam counties. While the solar farm itself would be built entirely within Morrow County, a 115-kilovolt transmission line would cross into Gilliam County in order to tie in with the Bonneville Power Administration electrical grid.

The land is currently zoned for exclusive farm use, though Miner said it does not have a water right and insisted the solar farm would not take valuable cropland out of production. Still, the project will require a special exception to Oregon statewide planning goals — specifically Goal 3, which deals with agricultural lands.

“We’ve found a pretty good spot to put the solar farm that will minimize impacts,” Miner said.

Carla McLane, Morrow County planning director, described the property as scrubby, rocky desert with minimal historical use for cattle grazing.

“It has been incredibly limited,” McLane said. “I think people look at this and recognize it’s very rocky.”

Morrow County has been experiencing greater interest from solar developers over the past 18 months, McLane said, especially as industry costs have become more competitive. She said four to six developers have had conversations recently about capitalizing on solar in the county.

“They’re not this big, but they are larger rather than smaller,” McLane said.

Jeff Bissonnette, executive director of the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, said the Boardman proposal is indicative of industrial scale solar taking hold in Oregon. He estimated costs have fallen as much as 50 percent in the last 18 months and are continuing to come down.

“It’s getting very close to being cost-competitive with traditional resources, including gas,” Bissonnette said. “I definitely think this is a trend we’re going to see over the next couple of years.”

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Oregon has 264.2 megawatts of solar energy installed across the state and is projected to add another 2,100 megawatts over the next five years.

At 75 megawatts, Boardman would become by far the biggest installation to date. No other single facility tops 10 megawatts.

Not only are costs coming down, but Miner added the Boardman project would be located near I-84 and existing transmission infrastructure, which only sweetens the deal.

“It’s not the best site in Oregon, but there are other factors that have helped all this come together,” Miner said.

Assuming there are no bumps in the road, Miner said the plan is to get a site certificate either later this year or in early 2018, and wrap up construction by the end of 2019.

“I think we’re almost there,” she said.

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Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825.