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

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Tempers flared at the Hallam Auditorium on Thursday night at a meeting on a proposed solar farm.

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

But people who live nearby are raising an array of concerns, from the project’s effect on wildlife to the solar panels creating a fire risk.

They also worry that taking farmland for the project will hurt the agriculture industry and that neighbors’ property values will be reduced.

“One of our biggest concerns are the damage this will do to real estate in this neighborhood,” Realtor Kim Topp said. “They deny that, but we’re going to work our best to prove what damage it’s going to cause and the damage it’s causing to everyone’s lifestyle and welfare.”

NextEra said the $600 million solar farm could generate enough electricity to power about 50,000 homes.

The company estimated that the project would create 250 construction jobs and bring in $42 million in tax revenue over the first 30 years.

At one point, several people were shouting at Thursday’s meeting.

One opponent of the project was escorted out, and deputies stood in the hallway to keep him from reentering.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission will vote on the project at its Wednesday meeting.

If the solar farm is approved, NextEra said construction will begin as early as December 2026.