A map shows the proposed placement of the Klamath Falls Energy Center, which would be located within the red outline.
A map shows the proposed placement of the Klamath Falls Energy Center, which would be located within the red outline.
Just outside Oregon’s city of sunshine, a community of unincorporated residents feel they’ve been kept in the dark.
Residents of the Klamath County town of Keno gathered at the local Open Bible Church on Thursday night to discuss a massive solar project looking to build in their backyards.
The Klamath Falls Energy Center, or KFEC, is the second largest solar farm in the works for the state of Oregon. At 8,600 acres, or 13.4 square miles, the proposed location is 18 miles west of Klamath Falls and just 1.5 miles northwest of Keno.
The community meeting, organized by Klamath County commissioner candidate Elvina Contla, served to shed some light on the unprecedented project.
By comparison, Contla referred to the upcoming approved Diamond Solar project in Klamath County, which will require 2,000 acres of space, less than a quarter of the KFEC project.
“It’s not a standard farm,” Contla said. “It’s an unprecedented industrialization of our timberlands.”
The KFEC Notice of Intent (NOI) to file an application for a site certification was submitted to the Oregon Department of Energy on Dec. 22, 2025, by its Denmark-based international parent company Ørsted.
A public comment period was opened Feb. 4 and set to complete March 13 for those who wish to submit statements online.
A public meeting is also scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 5 in Klamath Falls at The Spot, located at 1111 Main St., in Suite A. Virtual attendance is also available.
The land, which is owned by the multi-state forest product company Green Diamond, would be clear cut of all trees and vegetation to make way for the installation of millions of solar panels.
“It’s Green Diamond Land … but we purchased our homes here,” Contla said. “We raised our families here, knowing that was protected land.”
Among some of the major concerns discussed were fires, reduced water table and displacement of wildlife.
According to the Notice of Intent, the KFEC project would be a 400-megawatt photovoltaic power generation facility with battery storage capacity of an additional 400MW on site.
Like similar projects, KFEC would require an 8-foot fence surrounding the site, potentially disturbing the natural migration of wildlife, both predators and prey.
“We know that residents here have personally observed protected species — the gray wolf, the cougars and bobcats and black bears. We don’t like them, but we share that space with them because we share a space with their prey,” Contla said. “If this farm goes in, with 8-foot-tall fences around the entire thing, that will not allow for … animals to pass through to migrate as needed.”
And, due to its location along the Pacific Flyway, the impacts on migrating raptors and waterfowl could be substantial.
From above, solar panels appear similar to a body of water, what’s known as the pseudo-lake effect.
Avian species overhead often mistake the panels for a lake in which they could land with many species coming to the Klamath Basin for mating and nesting seasons.
According to the exhibits list for the KFEC proposal, the site is located about 10 miles from Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge as well as Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, both of which provide habitat for migrating waterfowl.
Klamath Tribes Chairman William E. Ray Jr. was invited to the meeting with many residents asking for his perspective on the issue.
“We’re concerned about all of these projects,” the chairman said, referring to multiple power projects such as Swan Lake that continue to impact Tribal lands. “We have to be cognizant here … about the groundwaters.”
Ray said projects like this are likely to impact the headwaters, drying up streams by reducing the recharge of the groundwater.
“When my parents (were young), who are both 89 and 88,” Ray said, “6 to 8 feet, that was the snowpack. And look at it this year. This is scary.”
With 60-degree weather predicted in the weeks to come, Ray said the Klamath Tribes are preparing for an early fire season.
In a high desert like the Klamath Basin, active dust control is necessary during construction, according to the notice of intent.
Although operational use of water will be relatively minute, during construction the project is expected to require 45,000 gallons per day. Though no timeline for completion is yet defined, compared to similar solar farms, the installation could take upwards of 1 to 3 years.
The 8,600-acre project might also increase the localized temperatures with what’s known as the solar heat island effect. Dark-colored panels trap heat and can increase the surrounding temperatures by as much as 5 to 7 degrees.
In dry conditions like the current water year in Klamath County, any reduction in water is of concern to everyone.
Klamath Tribal Councilor Les Anderson also spoke at the meeting, noting concerns about wildfires similar to those in recent years in Chiloquin.
“We have a little solar farm out in Chiloquin that burns about every summer, because it gets hot,” Anderson said. “So the need for water is immense.”
“Our issues are your issues,” the chairman said. “We’re all in this together. We’ve been here for a long time, since the beginning of time … We all have a tie to this land. We, that live in rural America, have generational ties. There isn’t one of us in this room that isn’t going to fight for that. We’ve been here a lot longer than a lot of people think, and we’re just not going to give up fighting for what we’ve got left.”
To review the notice of intent, submit comments or find the virtual link to the public meeting on March 5, visit oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Pages/KFEC.aspx#.
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