Madras Solar Energy Facility Public Hearing and Request for Comments on the Draft Proposed Order

PUBLIC NOTICE Madras Solar Energy Facility Public Hearing and Request for Comments on the Draft Proposed Order Notice Summary: Notice Date: March 23, 2021 Proposal: Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation facility providing an approximate nominal generating capacity of up to 63 megawatts (MW). Proposed Facility Location: Jefferson County, approximately 5.5 miles west of the City of Madras Draft Proposed Order: The draft proposed order (DPO), in which Oregon Department of Energy Staff (ODOE) recommends the Application for Site Certificate (ASC) meets all required standards and should be approved by the Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC), was issued on March 23, 2021. Comment Period: March 23, 2021 through April 22, 2021, at the close of the hearing listed below. Public Hearing: Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Start Time: 5:30 p.m. Location: Inn at Cross Keys Station 66 NW Cedar St, Madras, OR 97741 Teleconference/Webinar Presentation: https://odoe.webex.com/odoe/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0ebc91c43e1c6ac636a5f452eb c65a4f Join by Phone: (408) 418-9388 Access Code: 129 873 5625 The Oregon Department of Energy will hold the in-person portion of the public hearing according to policies and guidelines for social distancing, safety of the public and staff in place at the time of the hearing. ODOE will update the project webpage in advance of the hearing with these details: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Pages/MSE.aspx ODOE strongly recommends participating in the public hearing via Webex, if possible. If using Webex, please use your full name to sign in to help staff manage public comments. Additional information will be provided at the hearing about how to provide an oral comment using Webex features. Description of Proposed Facility: The Madras Solar Energy Facility, proposed by Madras PV1, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ecoplexus Inc., would consist of 63 MWs of a PV solar energy generation components including solar modules, tables and trackers, posts, cabling, inverters, transformers and switchgear. Related and supporting facilities would include above- and belowground 34.5 kilovolt (kV) collector lines; a 230 kV step-up substation; operations and maintenance enclosure; point of interconnection switching station; service roads, security fencing and gates; temporary construction areas; temporary concrete batch plant; and lithium-ion or flow battery storage system. Location of Proposed Facility: The proposed facility would be located within a site boundary that would permanently occupy up to 284 acres of high-value farmland within Jefferson County, approximately 5.5 miles west of the City of Madras, bisected by NW Elk Drive and NW Pelton Dam Road. A map of the proposed facility and site boundary is included at the end of this notice. Specific locational maps can be found in ASC Exhibit C at: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facil ities/Pages/MSE.aspx and on ODOE’s online mapping tool at: https://tinyurl.com/EFSCmap. EFSC Review Process Overview: The site certificate process is a consolidated, comprehensive siting process. The applicant must demonstrate that the proposed facility meets EFSC standards established under Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 469.501 and set forth in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) Chapters 345, Divisions 22 and 24, as well as all other applicable Oregon statutes, rules and standards. ODOE serves as staff to EFSC and conducts the application review process. The proposed facility is an energy facility subject to EFSC jurisdiction under the definition in ORS 469.300(11)(a)(D)(i). As such, the applicant must receive approval of a site certificate from EFSC. Madras Solar Energy Facility Process Overview: Application for Site Certificate: On November 9, 2020, ODOE, staff to EFSC, received a complete ASC from the applicant. Draft Proposed Order Issuance: On March 23, 2021, ODOE issued a DPO on the ASC. The DPO, ODOE’s first evaluation of the proposed facility which includes findings of facts, conclusions of law and conditions, recommends EFSC approve the ASC and issue a site certificate. The DPO is not a final order. The purpose of this DPO notice is to inform the public of an open comment period and a public hearing, with opportunities for in-person and remote participation. Public Hearing: On Thursday, April 22, 2021 a public hearing on the DPO, conducted by the EFSC-appointed third-party OAH hearings officer will be held in-person and remotely via teleconference/webinar. The hearing will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will end at 6:15 p.m., or later based on public participation. There will first be a brief overview by ODOE on the siting process and proposed facility, followed by an overview of the hearing format provided by the hearing officer and finally an opportunity to provide oral comments on the ASC and the DPO. Written comments to be included on the record of the public hearing must be received by the comment deadline of Thursday, April 22, 2021 at the close of the public hearing, submitted at the hearing, by mail, email or fax to the hearing officer, in care of: Chase McVeigh-Walker, Senior Siting Analyst Oregon Department of Energy 550 Capital Street NE Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-934-1582 Fax: 503-373-7806 Email: chase.mcveigh-walker@oregon.gov EFSC will not accept or consider any further public comments on the ASC or on the DPO after April 22, 2021, which represents the close of the record on the DPO for the proposed facility. Please note: All comments submitted to ODOE may be disclosed to the public, subject to Oregon Public Records Laws (ORS Chapter 192). Public comments may be available on the ODOE webpage for the Madras Solar Energy Facility as an attachment to the Proposed Order, to be issued at a later date. Comment submission does not register your contact information to receive future electronic notices. If you would like to receive notices for this proposed facility or any other EFSC facility, and have not already done so, please follow the information in this notice to subscribe to the ClickDimensions email notification list as described below. Council Review of the Draft Proposed Order: Following the close of the record of the public hearing on the DPO, and during a Council meeting, EFSC will review the DPO, comments received on the record of the DPO and provide any comments they have to ODOE. Proposed Order: ODOE will evaluate the comments received on the record of the DPO as well as those by EFSC, and make any necessary changes to findings of fact, conclusions of law and conditions. These will be reflected in the proposed order, ODOE’s second evaluation of the proposed facility. Contested Case: Along with the issuance of the proposed order, ODOE will issue a notice of contested case. To be eligible to participate in a contested case proceeding, a person must raise an issue either in person at the public hearing or in a written comment submitted between March 23, 2021 and April 22, 2021 and received by ODOE before the record closes on April 22, 2021 (close of the public hearing). Even if a person commented before March 23, 2021, that person must raise an issue(s), either via oral comment at the public hearing or in writing during the comment period to be eligible to participate in the contested case. Failure to raise an issue in person or in writing prior to the close of the record of the public hearing with sufficient specificity to afford the decision maker an opportunity to respond to the issue precludes consideration of the issue in a contested case. To raise an issue with sufficient specificity, a person must present facts that support the person’s position on the issue. See OAR 345-015-0016(3). The Siting Division Public Guide contains information on the EFSC process, including the contested case process. To view this information on ODOE’s website, please use the following link: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Documents/Fact-Sheets/EFSC-Public-Guide.pdf Final Order: Following the contested case proceeding, EFSC will issue a final order either approving or rejecting the ASC. If approved, a site certificate will also be issued. Receipt of this Notice: Please note that you may be receiving this notice for multiple reasons: 1. You own property within or adjacent to (within 500 feet) the property boundary on which the proposed facility would be located. You will automatically receive all future EFSC notices for this proposed facility. 2. You have previously signed up via ClickDimensions to receive email notices related to the Madras Solar Energy Facility or all EFSC project-related notices. You will automatically receive all future email notices per your request, unless you unsubscribe via ClickDimensions or by contacting ODOE. Additional Information: Additional information about the proposed facility and updates on the review process is available using any of the following options. 1) Oregon Department of Energy’s webpage: The ASC, DPO and additional details regarding the proposed facility may be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Pages/MSE.aspx to review and access free of charge. Additional resources to help you participate in the state siting process can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Pages/Fact-Sheets.aspx 2) Updates by email/mail: Subscribe to ClickDimensions, a self-managed, automated email system that sends notices and updates on the Madras Solar Energy Facility as well as any or all other energy facilities and events under EFSC jurisdiction. For more information, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/ODOE-EFSC. To receive notices by U.S. Mail, please contact Chase McVeigh-Walker (see contact information provided above). 3) In hardcopy: Hard copies of the ASC and DPO are available for public inspection at the following locations at no cost: Oregon Department of Energy 550 Capitol Street NE Salem, OR 97301 Please contact Chase McVeigh-Walker to arrange viewing of hard copies of the ASC and DPO; hard copies will be provided at reasonable cost upon request to ODOE. Accessibility information: ODOE is committed to accommodating people with disabilities. For the review of the ASC or attendance at the information meeting, if you require any special physical or language accommodations, or need information in an alternate format, please contact Wally Adams at 971-273-9778, toll-free in Oregon at 800-221-8035, or email to Walter.ADAMS@oregon.gov. For any other accommodation needed to attend the public hearing, please contact ODOE as soon as possible so we may provide the accommodation. Figure 1: Proposed Facility Location Published March 23, 2021. BT196687

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