Kewanee council approves special-use permit for 5-megawatt Enpower solar array at 101 Franklin Street

The Kewanee City Council on July 10 approved Bill 23-19, a special-use permit allowing Enpower Solutions to install a 5-megawatt solar array at 101 Franklin Street in Kewanee.

Miles Walding, an Enpower representative who joined the meeting by Zoom, told the council the design uses ballast-mounted arrays to avoid ground disturbance and that Enpower will follow EPA recommendations during a site review and cleanup. Walding said Enpower typically can "offer between 8-10% relief on power bills" in comparable projects and estimated the system "would probably be operational in 2 years," contingent on utility coordination, procurement and permitting.

Mayor Moore said he was "excited to have them interested in coming to the community," and Councilmember Colomer asked how Enpower would work with the city and local residents. Walding said the company generally seeks to hire local contractors for cleanup and ongoing maintenance and to collaborate with local groups such as Future Farmers of America for grounds care.

Walding told the council the arrays have a life expectancy of about 40 years with periodic upgrades (often around year 25), and that Enpower plans to address malfunctions promptly. He also said Enpower already has a lease in place with the landowner.

The council pressed on site remediation: Colomer asked specifically how the site would be cleaned and whether EPA guidance would be followed. City responses in the meeting confirmed Enpower's commitment to perform the cleanup according to EPA recommendations and to coordinate permitting with the utility company.

The council voted 4-0 to approve the special-use permit. The company and city still must complete the EPA site review, finalize permits with the utility, and proceed through procurement and construction scheduling before the array becomes operational.