Duluth may lease hayfield to firm for solar power development
DULUTH — City councilors will be asked Monday night to approve a resolution that would authorize city staff to negotiate a development agreement that could lead to the creation of a 37-acre solar power generation facility on the site of a former hayfield north of Hawk Ridge.
Duluth officials solicited and received eight proposals for potential local developments, but after reviewing all of them, a panel unanimously chose a plan from Eden Renewables as its top pick.
Based in Troy, New York, Eden Renewables has power generation operations in the U.S., the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. It now proposes to develop up to 10 megawatts of solar capacity here in Duluth.
Council President Terese Tomanek asked city staff if they were confident the prospective local solar operation would prove feasible, given the vagaries of Duluth’s weather, including recent smoke flows into the Northland from Canadian forest fires.
Jim Filby Williams, Duluth’s director of parks, libraries and municipal properties, assured Tomanek that the firm and its proposal had been fully vetted by a review team and appears to be quite credible, standing above all other prospective competing projects due to the company’s demonstrated expertise.
If Eden Renewables can deliver, city officials expect Duluth to financially benefit. The terms of a nascent agreement have yet to be finalized, but staff informed the city council Thursday that lease fees could funnel at least $1.43 million into municipal coffers over a 25-year period.
Estimated proceeds from a solar production tax could add another $175,000 to the city’s take over the same period.
Gary Meader / Duluth Media Group
While city councilors will be asked to lend their support to the project Monday, there are no guarantees it will come to fruition as a result of any resolution they might pass.
Minnesota Power likely will have the final say, as it examines proposals it has solicited for “distributed solar resources” that could be added to its power generation portfolio. Yet, a potential demonstration of the city’s support for Eden Renewables’ project stands to increase its prospects.
Minnesota Power is expected to announce its “shortlist” of projects in August. The company’s top selections will be revealed around February 2026, with final negotiations expected to be wrapped up by June 2026.
If Eden Renewables’ proposed hayfield project makes the final cut, it would need to be up and running by Dec. 31, 2028.
The site of the proposed solar facility in Duluth is located on land zoned P-1, reserved for “parks and open space.”
But Filby Williams the property in question was intentionally excluded from the newly-established Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge Natural Area, so as to allow it to be used as a future solar power resource. The land has not been designated as protected parkland, nor has it been slated for recreational improvements.
Peter Passi covers city and county government for the Duluth News Tribune. He joined the paper in April 2000, initially as a business reporter but has worked a number of beats through the years.