Lancaster County Board approves proposed solar farm near Hallam

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a controversial solar farm near Hallam.

NextEra Energy is planning to build a 2,400-acre solar farm, which would be the largest in the state.

Officials said the farm — roughly bounded by Highway 77, Southwest 29th Street, West Princeton Road and West Gage Road — will bring in $42 million in tax revenue.

The board unanimously approved the solar farm a week after hearing hours of testimony from concerned neighbors and farmers.

Some expressed fear about the environmental and economic impacts the development could have.  Other neighbors are worried the project would hurt response times to rural wildfires.

In response to those concerns, Matt Schulte — who represents the area where the farm will be built — put forward a motion to adjust the plan.

“I’ve heard you, I’ve fought for you,” Schulte said.  “I am going to vote for this because I think this is the best we can do without denying the permit.”

The amendment increases the setbacks to push the solar panels 450 feet farther from non-participating houses.

The developer, NextEra, will also be required to provide all of the nearby fire departments with any equipment, keys or codes necessary in case of an emergency.

Trees will be planted around the farm to make the panels less visible to the public, and no equipment from a Chinese company will be allowed to be used in construction.

Board member Chelsea Johnson also added a few amendments, like addressing concerns with dust control in the area.

Still, many people feel their health and property tax concerns were not addressed.

“First, it’s very ugly; nobody wants to live beside it,” Realtor Kim Topp told a Channel 8 reporter. “Anybody knows that solar is not attractive on a house anywhere, so nobody wants to be there. You can’t sell it if you want to sell it. There’s a lot of health concerns that they seem to want to kind of skim over the top or deny that they’re there.”

One woman who lives within a mile of the farm said she feels like the board does not care.

“The people that are for this don’t live in this area,” TJ Harlan said. “It does not directly affect them. The people that are directly affected, they’re trying to buy off: ‘Here, we’ll hand you some money ’cause you’re directly affected.’ It’s all about the money.”

Construction on the project is expected to begin as early as December 2026, according to NextEra.

SEE ALSO: Meeting on proposed 2,400-acre solar farm in Lancaster County gets heated

The board is strongly urging NextEra to use local businesses and union workers in construction, which it said will help grow the economy in Lancaster County.