Former Monson feedlot in Sunnyside could see 80 acres of solar panels | Local

The city agreed to give the company a five-year option to lease the property, meaning the company has five years to determine if the property is suitable for the panels. The city can’t do anything else with the property until the company decides to go forward with the project or walk away.

“This is the very first step in a long development process,” said Blake Bjornson, a project development manager with OneEnergy Renewables.

Bjornson said the company still needs to figure out permitting, among other issues.

OneEnergy Renewables is paying the city $2,000 for the first year of the lease, and that figure will increase by $1,000 each year for up to five years until the company decides what it wants to do.

If the company decides to go forward with the project, it will pay the city $750 per acre of solar panels, the power from which will be fed into the city’s power grid. That figure will increase 3 percent each year for 26 years. After 26 years, the company can ask for a 10-year extension.

OneEnergy Renewables and the city of Sunnyside reached the agreement on the five-year option on Aug. 13.