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Facilities

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Applicant/Certificate holder:
Site Description:
The Deschutes Solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Facility is a proposed solar photovoltaic energy generation facility with a generating capacity of approximately 1,000 megawatts (MWs). In addition to the proposed solar photovoltaic arrays, the facility would include related and supporting facilities including a 1,000 MW BESS with up to 4 hours of storage capacity, an Operations and Maintenance Building, a 34.5 kV collector system, an approximately 0.5 mile 500-kilovolt (kV) generation tie line to a proposed 500 kV switchyard connecting to the existing 500-kV Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Marion-Buckley transmission line, perimeter fencing, access roads, and staging areas. The proposed facility would be located within a site boundary of approximately 13,626 acres (21.3 sq miles) of predominately private land zoned for Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) in Wasco County, approximately 10 miles southwest of Maupin.
Status:

Under Review/Proposed. On January 17, 2025, the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE or Department) received a Notice of Intent to File an Application for a Site Certificate (NOI) for the Deschutes Solar and Battery Energy Storage System Facility (facility). The applicant submitted a revised NOI on January 21, 2025. This version is available in the Project Timeline below and is now open for public comment.

The Department has issued a Public Notice of the NOI and opened a public comment period on the NOI. The Public Notice includes additional information about how to participate in the review of the NOI, details about how to comment, and a Public Informational Meeting. The Public Notice is available in the Project Timeline below.

Public comments can be submitted to the Department in writing via mail, email, and through the ODOE Comment Portal: Siting Public Comment · Customer Self-Service (Select “Deschutes Solar and BESS" from the drop down menu and follow prompts to submit comments)

The Public Informational Meeting will be held on March 27, 2025 and held in person in Maupin, Oregon and also can be attended virtually via webinar. Details on how to attend and participate in the Public Informational Meeting are in the Public Notice, available below.

The Public Comment period on the NOI closes on April 25, 2025. Public Comments must be submitted by 5:00 Pacific Time on April 25, 2025 in order to be considered in the Project Order. The Department anticipates issuing the Project Order in June 2025.

The applicant anticipates submitting a preliminary Application for Site Certificate in July 2025. ​

Location:

​Wasco County, approximately 10 miles southwest of Maupin. PDF Map​ I Online Map

DECH bn, LLC, a subsidiary of BrightNight, LLC
ODOE contact: Kathleen Sloan
Applicant/Certificate holder contact: Bijan Damavandi

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Project Timeline

  
Additional Documents
  
02/21/2025
02/26/2025
Public Informational Meeting on NOI
03/27/2025
Deadline to submit comments on the NOI
04/25/2025

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Exhibit Files Reference

  • Exhibit A: Applicant Information 
  • Exhibit B: Project Description
  • Exhibit C: Property Location and Maps
  • Exhibit D: Organizational Information
  • Exhibit E​: Permits Required
  • Exhibit F: Property Ownership 
  • Exhibit G: Materials Analysis
  • Exhibit H: Geology and Soil Stability 
  • Exhibit I: Soils
  • Exhibit J: Wetlands
  • Exhibit K: Land Use
  • Exhibit L: Protected Areas
  • Exhibit M: Financial Analysis
  • Exhibit N​: Non-generating Facility Information
  • Exhibit O: Water Requirements
  • Exhibit P: Fish Wildlife Habitat 
  • Exhibit Q: Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals
  • Exhibit R: Scenic Aesthetic Values 
  • Exhibit S: Cultural Resources
  • Exhibit T: Recreational Facilities 
  • Exhibit U: Public Services
  • Exhibit V​: Waste Minimization 
  • Exhibit W: Site Restoration
  • Exhibit X: Noise 
  • Exhibit Y: Carbon Dioxide Emissions 
  • Exhibit Z: Cooling Towers  
  • Exhibit AA: EMFs – Electric and Magnetic Fields
  • Exhibit BB: Other Information
  • Exhibit CC: Additional Statutes Rules Ordinances
  • Exhibit DD​: Other Specific Standards
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