Landfill solar venture reaches final lease review in Thurston County

By Kameko Marquez

The conversion of Thurston County’s closed Waste and Recovery Center landfill into a grid-scale solar facility has progressed to its final legal and engineering review. 

The $30,000 annual lease project is slated for mid-2026 construction under EDF Renewables 25-year power purchase agreement with Puget Sound Energy, pending approval by the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners. 

EDF Renewables proposed 3-megawatt, alternating-current solar photovoltaic array would occupy 21 acres at 2420 Hogum Bay Road NE in Lacey. 

The project’s design phase has cleared multiple technical and regulatory milestones since it was first proposed to commissioners in 2023. 

Lease review 

Thurston County Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager Rebecca Harvey told the Solid Waste Advisory Committee at a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6, that negotiations with EDF are about 75% complete. 

“The project would provide revenue to the county in the form of lease payments. It, of course, would generate clean and reliable electricity to the power grid, and by doing so, it helps to meet state and county climate goals,” Harvey said. 

The Thurston County Public Works Department, the board and community members have supported the initiative from its inception, she said.

The landfill’s conversion, Harvey added, aims to repurpose a closed facility with minimal development potential and institutionalize renewable energy targets under Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act. The act mandates 100% renewable electricity by 2045. 

In March 2024, EDF Renewables received exclusive site control through an option-to-lease and right-of-entry agreement. 

The agreement authorizes environmental assessments, geotechnical analysis and electrical interconnection design, while the county finalizes a 25-year ground lease. 

The Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Public Works Department are now in the process of completing a legal review of the lease terms governing land tenure, indemnification and decommissioning. 

EDF representative Kenton Martin said EDF pursued a fixed-rate lease model rather than revenue sharing to uphold stable project returns. 

“We work with the landowner to agree upon a fixed rate for the site, and that rolls into our financial models,” he said. 

The landfill lease is expected to generate $30,000 annually, according to an appraisal by Integra Realty Resources under a fair-market study funded by EDF. 

The agreement also stipulates decommissioning and end-of-life requirements, including removal of photovoltaic hardware, recycling of equipment and site restoration to pre-project conditions. 

Harvey said the exclusivity clause became the most complex portion of the negotiations. 

“It was a challenge for the county to allow exclusive right to use the site because, of course, there are other contractors on the site for different reasons,” she said. “But we got there, and we found the language that worked and executed that option-to-lease agreement.” 

Engineering specifications 

EDF’s conceptual plan, submitted in July 2025, sets forth a fixed-tilt, ballasted photovoltaic system of about 7,900 panels. The configuration uses concrete ballast blocks over gravel to avoid breaching the landfill’s protective cap. 

“Everything sits on top of concrete ballast and gravel,” Martin said. “If one or two of those start to sink a little more in the future, they can just lift it back up, readjust the rock, and add more gravel.” 

Harvey said EDF and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) are also finalizing joint interconnection and permitting work. 

“EDF is continuing to work with PSE on ongoing interconnection studies and electrical grid upgrades, as well as the engineering design and permitting tasks, including environmental surveys, civil engineering design, which are also almost complete,” she said.

Methane flaring and groundwater monitoring systems would be managed under county oversight under the landfill’s post-closure permit.  

The panels would link to PSE’s distribution system through a nearby substation without altering roadways or storm water infrastructure. Above-ground conduits and utility trenches would prevent disturbance of the landfill containment layer. 

In 2023 coverage by The JOLT News, Harvey estimated the construction phase would create 60 to 90 temporary jobs for eight months and deliver energy to 375 households for 25 years. 

Project timeline 

EDF expects to complete lease execution and local permitting within six months and begin construction in the second quarter of 2026. 

The private developer plans to qualify for federal, safe harbor tax benefits through domestic manufacturing of panels, inverters and racking systems, largely sourced from Texas. 

Commercial operation is targeted for December 2027 following grid commissioning. The 35-year design life may permit future extensions with county consent and new market contracts.  

“We’re pretty confident as long as we can finalize the lease and permitting within the next six months and get going, we shouldn’t have too hard of a time to hit a December 2027 commercial operation date,” Martin said. 

EDF expects to finalize civil engineering design this month and forward site plan documentation to the Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development Department in early 2026.