Waterloo advances solar project with airport land lease deal

WATERLOO, Iowa — Waterloo city leaders are advancing a significant solar project at the local airport with a long-term lease agreement.

The city council approved an agreement to lease about 759 acres of airport-owned land to Grand Husk Solar for 40 years. During the development phase, the city will collect $50 per acre annually. This rate will increase to $350 per acre during construction and eventually reach $1,400 per acre once the project is operational.

Olivia Rodriguez, a developer for Grand Husk Solar, expressed optimism about the project.

“We are very confident that solar will maintain its forefront in the industry today because it’s the cheapest form of energy,” Rodriguez said. “Once it’s already built all we have to do is pay for our leases and also pay to maintain the area, which means we can sell the power at a lower rate.”

Before construction begins, the airport may continue leasing the land as farmland. Once operational, the solar farm will run for at least 20 years.