The Teanaway Solar Reserve (TSR) project received final approval on Aug. 11 from the Kittitas County Board of Adjustment. The 75 megawatt (MW) project, when completed, will likely be the largest photovoltaic (PV) installation in the northwest and one of the largest in the world. The world’s largest operating PV farm, as of 2010, is a 60 MW plant in Olmedilla, Spain, but a slew of new PV projects, including this one, will dwarf the Olmedilla project in the next few years.

When operational, the reserve will supply enough electricity to power about 45,000 homes. It will be built about 90 miles east of Seattle just outside of Cle Elum, Wash., on previously logged land.

A spokesman for TSR said the area is an ideal region for solar since it receives an average of 300 days of sun a year. According to the organization’s Web site, the installation will be spread over 900 acres with native strips of vegetation, including the native ponderosa pine forest, in between. However, the entire array could be placed on 145 acres of land. During environmental impact studies, it was determined that the project posed no threat to protected plants, animals or wetlands, and would have a minimum impact on the land.

The project submitted its first application in August 2009. Upon receiving the final conditional-use permit, TSR is already planning a local job fair to start hiring workers and begin development on the project. It could be operational by early 2012, according to the project’s website.

The economically depressed area will benefit from the new PV power plant in a number of ways, according to TSR. During construction, the project will create more than 200 jobs. And it also will create 35 permanent jobs. The construction phase of the project “will also produce a significant revenue stream, generating more than $97 million in purchases of goods and services.” And upon completion, it will generate more than $1.5 million in property tax revenues, the organization said.

In a prepared statement, Howard Trott, TSR’s managing director said that “With this decision, Kittitas County is in the forefront of the nation’s new renewable energy industry.” He added, “TSR’s vision to generate green jobs and energy is now a reality, and it marks the start of a new future for Kittitas County and Washington state.”