Ørsted’s Eleven Mile Solar Center, shown above, is located in Pinal County, Ariz. The project began commercial operations in 2024. The Danish multinational energy company plans a similar project outside Keno.
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Ørsted’s Eleven Mile Solar Center, shown above, is located in Pinal County, Ariz. The project began commercial operations in 2024. The Danish multinational energy company plans a similar project outside Keno.
The Keno Wildlands Alliance, composed of local residents, has established a 501(c)(4) political advocacy group to oppose Ørsted’s proposed Klamath Falls Energy Center. Ørsted is a Danish multinational energy company.
“We’re not anti-solar; we just don’t think it should be on this land,” said Joyce Furlong, who represents the alliance. Furlong cited elk and deer migration corridors, the seasonal marsh, and sensitive meadowlands that would be affected by the proposed solar farm. “Just because it’s not productive, forest land doesn’t mean it’s worthless,” she said.
Furlong leads the group, with Sherrie Rodgers as president and Dawn Nye as secretary.
Klamath County Commissioner Andy Nichols praised their efforts, saying, “I applaud the Keno Wildlands Alliance and their efforts to get ahead of the curve and ensure their voices are heard.”
The Klamath Falls Energy Center is a proposed 400-megawatt solar farm with a 400-megawatt battery storage system. The project is currently under review by the Oregon Department of Energy’s State Solar Siting Commission.
The proposed site covers about 8,600 acres of privately owned land. That’s roughly the size of 45 Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls campuses or about 6,500 football fields.
The Klamath Falls Energy Center remains in early stages and has not yet submitted a formal application or proposed design. The public comment period on the Notice of Intent ran from Feb. 4 to March 20, 2026. The Oregon Department of Energy issued a Project Order on May 11, 2026, giving Ørsted until Dec. 22, 2027, to submit a plan application for a site certificate. The company may request an additional year.
The 746-page Project Order outlines required rules, statutes, and information for the plan application. Of those pages, 528 consist of public comments, the vast majority of which are in opposition. The full order is available from the State Siting Commission.
“After 10 years of examining energy projects, this doesn’t have legs,” said County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot.
The alliance has received support from Oregon Responsible Solar, a Bonanza-based group that successfully opposed a proposed 300-megawatt solar project and 1,100-megawatt battery storage system planned for 2,700 acres.
The project was owned by Hecate Energy, a Chicago-based company. Hecate reduced the project’s boundary to 1,000 acres due to public opposition, and the project was eventually canceled.
Alliance members cited concerns about scenic beauty, recreational opportunities, endangered species, and the risk that fires could release heavy metals into the air.
“We’re worried it will impact our home insurance — we already have high rates,” Furlong said, adding that falling home values are also a concern. “We came here to live in the forest,” she said.
“I understand their concerns — I have the same — but this is private land,” Nichols said of the newly formed alliance. “The board of commissioners should never be in the business of telling private landowners what to do.”
He emphasized that everyone must follow local laws, processes, and codes.
Klamath County has seen a surge in energy project proposals, according to DeGroot, Nichols, and Jeremy Morris, the county’s public works and planning director. The largest operating solar project in the county spans about 350 acres. In recent years, the number of proposed projects has increased, but none have begun construction.
There has been confusion between the Klamath Falls Energy Center, which would be on private land owned by Green Diamond Resource Co., and the Diamond Solar Energy Project near Diamond Junction. The Klamath Falls Energy Center has not yet submitted a plan. The Diamond Solar Energy Project is much smaller and has already been approved.
Projects that have received approval but have not begun construction:
• The Hayden Mountain Solar and Battery Storage Energy Center, developed by Ecoplexus, would span about 900 acres and produce 160 megawatts of power. Ecoplexus is a California-based global renewable energy developer.
• The Diamond Solar Energy Project, developed by Invenergy LLC, would cover about 1,560 acres near Diamond Junction and produce 200 megawatts of power. Invenergy is a Chicago-based global renewable energy developer.
• The Swan Lake Energy Storage Project, by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, would span about 2,000 acres and produce 393 megawatts of power. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is a Denmark-based green energy investor. Rye Development, based in Florida, is developing the project.
Other projects under review by the state siting commission include:
• The Klamath Cogeneration Project, a 525-megawatt natural gas-fired combined-cycle facility by Avangrid Power LLC, the U.S. division of Spanish multinational Iberdrola S.A.
Morris said the county has received several applications for energy projects since the removal of hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. He speculated the phasing out of federal subsidies and a perceived opening in the grid have fueled developer interest.
On June 5, 2026, House Bill 4031 was passed, temporarily granting local governments authority to issue renewable energy permits that had previously been handled by the state. The move aims to speed up the process after Gov. Tina Kotek signed an executive order fast-tracking solar and wind permits to take advantage of federal tax credits before they expire.
The law exempts energy facilities from the requirement to obtain a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council if they produce renewable energy, qualify for certain federal tax credits, and are placed in service by Dec. 31, 2030.
Furlong and Nichols both shared concerns about the bill, but the proposed Klamath Falls Energy Center is not currently utilizing the bill’s exemption.
The change has created a bind at the county level over who would handle the applications. Klamath County’s planning department has 2.3 full-time employees, raising concerns about its capacity to review new projects under the law.
“It’s all the planning staff can do to stay ahead with local projects,” said Morris, adding that the department lacks capacity for large-scale energy projects. Nichols called the law a double-edged sword and an unfunded mandate. He welcomed more county control but said staffing remains a concern.
If a large-scale project were introduced at the county level, officials would need to hire more planning staff. But hiring qualified people is a challenge, especially since there’s no clear path to fund the positions after project revenue runs out.
Furlong said that as federal tax credits are being phased out, there is a rush for new projects, adding, “Rural places are being thrown under the bus.”
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