Another solar project is in the works in Montezuma County.
Canyonland Solar is a 140-megawatt solar project that would be on 960 acres of private dry land near Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and Goodman Point, if it receives approval.
The project, which could reportedly power 30,000 homes for over 30 years, is awaiting approval from the Montezuma County Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners.
JUWI Inc. is a German-based company that “specializes in utility-scale solar energy projects.” The North American headquarters is in Boulder and has been building solar projects in the U.S. for 17 years.
David Kimmett, manager and planning, shared that the Canyonland Solar project was being developed to “meet the need for affordable, locally-produced electricity in southwestern Colorado.”
“We’re particularly focused in our home state, because Colorado is where we live,” Kimmett said, adding that his family has lived in the state since the 1860s.
To help ease some of the concerns from locals regarding the project, Kimmett said they have been working to have a “proactive and diligent” community outreach approach.
Throughout the course of the project’s life, $8.4 million of tax revenue is expected to be generated over 35 years, which Kimmett noted would benefit the Montezuma-Cortez school district and its recent passage of the mill levy.
Kimmett shared that the project would be located a few miles west of Arriola and U.S. Highway 491 on private property and adjacent to the existing Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association main switch substation. It is one of many projects being considered by Tri-State for selection, according to Kimmett.
JUWI began landowner outreach in Montezuma County in 2019 and went into a lease agreement, rather than purchasing the land.
In fall 2024, the group began community outreach. The first was in August at the Lewis-Arriola Community Center and the other took place in December at the Cortez Cultural Center.
Both were well attended, Kimmett said.
“These were neighbors to the proposed project that we invited, and for several hours, they gave their input on the project, and from that input, we listened,” Kimmett said. “We’ve been doing this for so many years, we fully understand and appreciate the local voice in helping us design a better project … Whether they’re supporters or people who don’t favor our project, those voices help us try to understand the pulse of the community.”
Following both community meetings, Kimmett said they went back and made changes to their designs.
“This project has been heavily shaped by community dialogue,” Kimmett noted.
“JUWI is committed to transparency of process, working closely with local neighbors, the county government, and other stakeholders to craft a specialized project unique to the Lewis-Arriola area of Montezuma County, and we look forward to the continued dialogue ahead,” JUWI said.
Neighbors and other residents who would be in the vicinity of the project, should it be approved, declined to comment at the time of this writing.
The project also has a website coming soon. The website is www.canyonlandsolar.com.
