Large solar farm proposal loses parcel, putting project in limbo

ALAMEDA COUNTY >> A project to build a 410acre solar farm on agricultural land north of Livermore just lost a portion of its proposed property, when the landowners backed out of the deal after they were “induced” to sign a document under certain promises, their attorney said.

The attorney for property owners Leland and Mary Stanley sent a “cease and desist” letter to Intersect Power, of San Francisco, ending any negotiations and effectively removing a portion of the couple’s 100-acre property from what had been a 410-acre project located about 2.5 miles north of Livermore on unincorporated land. Of those 100 acres, 38 were to be used for the development of the solar installation.

If approved, the project and another nearby 81-acre solar farm proposed by Oakland’s SunWalker Energy are expected to provide enough power for up to 25,000 homes and businesses. But opponents of the projects want Alameda County to put the two proposals on hold until the county develops a policy for large-scale solar projects, including where and if they should be allowed.

Intersect Power, the company behind the 410-acre Aramis Renewable Energy Project, said in a statement it does not think removal of the 38-acre Stanley property will affect its overall project.

“We do not anticipate this removal will impact our application to construct the Aramis Renewable Energy Project, or jeopardize it in any way,” said Marisa Mitchell, principal of Intersect Power, in a statement.

“Since a lease agreement was never in place with the Stanley family, Intersect Power knew their property may not be included in the project. Not having this smaller site is an economic impact; however, the project is absolutely still viable without it and we look forward to delivering clean, reliable power to Livermore and Bay Area residents soon,” she continued in an email statement.

Opponents of the solar farm claim Intersect is now flipping its script. The company has maintained in the past that it needs all 410 acres to be economically viable, or profitable, said attorney Robert Selna, who rep