Upset community members clash with solar farm developer

At its first meeting open to the general public, the company seeking to build a utility-scale solar farm off Skyway faced a fiery audience.

The Sept. 22 meeting is the first time Cenergy Power welcomed members of the public to hear from its staff directly — just one month before it plans to file its application to the California Energy Commission, circumventing county permitting to meet financial deadlines. 

The 300-megawatt solar farm’s application adheres to county requirements also, Cenergy CEO William Pham said. It will have self-cooling batteries in the northeastern corner, approximately half a million solar panels, along with three preserved riparian areas and a fence for a deer migration route. 

The project site is situated on the eastern side of Skyway between Chico and Paradise. 

“The state has mandated we reduce our carbon footprint,” Pham told the audience.

Pham said Cenergy was working with community partners, such as county supervisors, Alliance for Resilience and Community Health (ARCH) and California State University, Chico. Cenergy is also in talks with Pioneer Community Energy, a not-for-profit collection of public agencies that purchase power on the public market to compete with PG&E. 

Butte County and Chico will be auto-enrolled in Pioneer with the option to opt out. The service is expected to begin in late 2027. 

Pham floated a few ideas to benefit the community: providing power to Butte County and designating 6 acres of the project area for a fire station. 

Attendees seemed unconvinced. In one of three breakout sessions about environmental concerns, tensions boiled as people pushed to better understand Cenergy’s environmental reviews and why the public was only now becoming aware of the project. 

Despite acquiring the 1,700-acre property in 2025, the first news story about Cenergy’s acquisition and plans was a ChicoSol article published Sept. 3.

Cenergy staffers explained they didn’t want to inform the public prior to an examination of the project’s feasibility. The county, which conducted a solar feasibility survey, has listed the area where the panels are as medium suitability.

A requirement for a solar farm like the one proposed, which could generate enough power to supply the entire county, requires direct access to the transmission line that traverses much of Northern California and extends into Oregon and Nevada, Cenergy staff said. That access would be available.

Environmental concerns

Kevin Osborne, who led the environmental concerns breakout session, said there was an archeological survey and an evaluation by an arborist who looked at the health of the approximately 7,000 trees — many of which are Blue Oaks. 

He said about 5,000 of those trees were identified as healthy, and that finding shifted where the panels would be placed to protect about 50% of those trees. 

But some attendees did not want to see any cut down, with one saying: “These oak trees went through a fire, the ones you’re cutting down went through a fire we all went through. Now you’re going to cut them down — that’s crazy.”

Following environmental reviews, Cenergy incorporated deer migration fences and protected vernal pools, Osborne said. 

As part of the CEC’s evaluation of Cenergy’s application, an extensive environmental review will be conducted, giving the public the chance to comment.

Cenergy staff repeatedly stated it’s trying to be a “good neighbor,” which some people criticized when it was repeated in the meeting. 

Jim Matray, a resident of the nearby Rocky Bluff subdivision, said he’s angered that the project was “dumped on us two weeks ago.”

“We moved there to have privacy,” he said. “Otherwise we’d live near Chico. The project is bigger than the three subdivisions nearby.”

Jona Dahlmeier, a resident from another nearby subdivision, Spanish Gardens, said she has seen bald eagles and bears in the area, and is concerned that Cenergy was not aware of the wildlife in the area.

Attendees bombarded Osborne with questions, many of which he said he couldn’t answer, but said he would note them and provide an answer when other staff were consulted. 

As tensions rose and several community members in the session pointed out that Osborne hadn’t noted down any questions, he gestured to an Action News Now camera and said everything was being recorded. 

“The suggestion that Action News Now was recording the meeting on Cenergy Power’s behalf is 100% false,” said Hayley Watts, news director for Action News Now in a comment to ChicoSol. “Our camera was there to gather footage for our independent news coverage.”

Environmental advocate lends his support to project

Mark Stemen, a geography professor at the university and vocal environmental advocate, has changed his view of the project since first becoming aware of it.

He told ChicoSol that Cenergy staff has revised the solar farm plans after considering recommendations by him, supervisors and other organizations.  

Stemen told ChicoSol he was disappointed in the community’s reaction because clean energy projects are needed in order to move away from fossil fuels. While he hates the idea of cutting down trees and changing the landscape, climate change is becoming an ever greater threat to the natural world.

Stemen said he’s spent several years trying to encourage the county and Chico — in vain — to invest in more solar projects. He suggests this project is a choice the community should make to address climate change and preserve the natural world. 

Where the project goes now

At the end, Pham told the press Cenergy would note concerns and address relevant ones in the planned October filing. 

When the project is in the state’s hands, the CEC will hold a public comment period and require Cenergy to hold another public meeting. 

The CEC has 280 days to approve or deny the project. If approved, the solar farm is expected to be completed in 2029. 

Meanwhile, the public can also submit questions and comments through Cenergy’s project website.

Chris Hutton is a contributor to ChicoSol and a recent Chico State journalism graduate.