It’s been almost three years since a proposed solar park in Linn County met fierce pushback from local residents and farmers.

Now, after a long lull, there are signs the plan to install solar panels across more than a thousand acres of prime farmland could take shape.

There’s still no application, but recent meetings with energy regulators suggest the developers intend to move forward before their May 19 deadline.

Some neighbors had hoped the solar company would go away.

When the solar company went silent — and later asked state energy regulators for an extension to their deadline — Nancy Schatz, a Harrisburg resident whose house would be surrounded by solar panels if the project gets the green light, thought Muddy Creek might not be built.

“I thought there might be a possibility,” Schatz said. “But then…you never know.”

Proposal is muddy on farming plans

When it was first pitched, the Muddy Creek Energy Park’s developers said it would be the state’s first large-scale commercial “agrivoltaics” project in Oregon.

South Korean-based Hanwha Renewables and its subsidiary Qcells — which have offices in California and a manufacturing facility in Georgia — proposed solar panels capable of powering over 30,000 homes on nearly 1,600 acres directly east of Interstate 5 between Albany and Eugene.

The project would be sited on land zoned for exclusive farm use and would run through lands mostly farmed for annual ryegrass — some of the surrounding areas include wetlands that serve as a flyway resting place for waterfowl, raptors and shorebirds.

Agrivoltaics involves using the land for both renewable energy and farming. It can involve pollinator habitats under solar panels or sheep grazing on the grass growing between the panels. The concept isn’t new, but it’s still largely experimental.

However, Jenny Kalez, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Energy, told OPB Hanwha didn’t propose any dual-use solar or agricultural when it first filed a notice of intent with the Energy Facility Siting Council, a volunteer advisory board appointed by the governor.

The council is in charge of reviewing and approving large energy projects across Oregon.

The agrivoltaics idea did come up during a July 2023 public informational meeting.

But local residents didn’t buy it then, and still don’t. And many worry Muddy Creek could put high-value farmland out of commission if the agriculture part falls through.

“There’s a lot of marketing efforts on [Hanwha]’s part to put some sheep out there and some solar panels. And that’s appealing to some,” said Troy Jones, a Harrisburg resident and member of Friends of Gap Road, a local resident-led opposition group. “But people that understand know — that that’s not a reality.”

Jones, who lives across the road from the Muddy Creek site and is an avid hunter, also worries the facility could irreversibly alter riparian zones along the creeks that go through the proposed site, and damage a farmed wetland ecosystem that serves as habitat for migratory birds.

He said he’s not against solar or renewable energy, but argues that the developers could pick other sites, such as warehouse distribution centers, parking lots or rooftops of energy-hungry data centers.

Joining Friends of Gap Road in opposition to the project, some land policy watchdogs groups and local elected officials have expressed concern over the scale and location of the solar farm.

“We believe that alternative locations should be considered before they ever use farmland or these farmed wetlands,” he said. “We’re not looking for sympathy here, but there is a reality that people need to understand that there is a negative impact.”

Solar projects are allowed on land zoned for agriculture under state land use laws.

Oregon will need to approve more energy developments like solar and wind power to meet its renewable energy goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state is falling short on its own targets and is nearly at the bottom compared to other states adding renewables to their electric grid.

Slow progress, and some uncertainty

Hanwha has built utility-scale solar parks in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona.

In Linn County, public property records show the proposed Muddy Creek project would be sited on land owned by at least four private landowners who signed a lease with Hanwha.

Hanwha developers say the site is ideal for various reasons, including its proximity to a PacificCorp substation and to power lines that run parallel to I-5. A website that is no longer online, but previously touted the benefits of the project also suggested the site’s rural character and few residents allows for a “solar development with conditions for approval.

But the Muddy Creek project has moved at a glacial pace.

When the company first submitted its notice of intent in 2023 — not a formal application, but a report that includes the broad general information of the proposed project — it had until May 19, 2025, to file an application.

But developers never filed that application, and instead asked the Energy Facility Siting Council for an extension.

In March 2025, Brian Tran, then Qcells’ development manager, sent a letter to the energy council explaining there were more wetlands within the proposed site than developers had originally surveyed and explaining they needed more time for soil studies and to adjust the boundaries of the project.

A representative from Hanwha Renewables told OPB they’ve redesigned the project to minimize its impact on the wetland and wildlife habitat areas — although the redesign is not publicly available yet.

“Ongoing site studies and subsequent revisions to our site plan can take some time,” the representative wrote in an email.

The energy council granted the extension in May 2025.

Hanwha now has until May 19, 2026, to submit an application.

Jenny Kalez with the state energy department said Hanwha asked to meet agency staff in person on Dec. 2, 2025. They haven’t met since then, although Hanwha told the agency it intends to file an application before the end of the first quarter of 2026.

The company has also been working with the Oregon Department of State Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to redesign the project boundaries.

A spokesperson with Hanwha also confirmed with OPB the company’s intentions to file an application soon.

The slow pace of development has left neighbors who oppose the Muddy Creek proposal watching and waiting to see what might come next.

Nancy Schatz, the resident from Harrisburg, is used to looking out her window and seeing wide open fields and total darkness at night.

“It’s dark, there are no street lights, and I like that,” she said. ”I’m never afraid out here. I really am not.”

She worries she’ll be surrounded by bright LED street lights and metal fencing, and wishes she knew what to expect.

“It’s just unsettling to not know. Is it going to happen? Is it not going to happen?” she said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/13/willamette-valley-solar-park-farm-muddy-creek/