A proposed solar farm and battery storage facility about three miles north of Mesa Verde National Park is drawing support from four rural electric cooperatives — and concern from nearby residents and business owners in Montezuma County. The Valley Range Energy Park, proposed by Accelergen Energy east of Cortez, would cover about 900 acres with solar panels and include a 62.5-megawatt battery system. The developer says the project could produce up to 125 megawatts of electricity, roughly enough to supply Cortez, Durango and Farmington, New Mexico, for a year. Four cooperatives — Empire Electric Association, Gunnison County Electric Association, San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative and San Miguel Power Association — say purchasing the electricity could save them more than $20 million and help fund infrastructure improvements. Accelergen estimates the project would generate $13.9 million in local property taxes over 35 years and create about 100 construction jobs. But the proposal arrives amid a contentious local debate over utility-scale solar. County commissioners temporarily stopped accepting new applications last year while revising rules, including required distances from homes. Under the updated rules, Accelergen has leased about 2,100 acres from private landowners and the Colorado State Land Board; the company says much of that land would remain undeveloped or serve as wildlife corridors. Nearby business owners Bryan Davis and Brandi Atkinson are among those worried about the project’s scale and its battery facility. Davis operates a chocolate business near Mesa Verde, while Atkinson and her husband own Bright Star Campground. Both point to a January 2025 battery fire at a facility in Moss Landing, California, which led to the evacuation of about 1,200 residents and disrupted area businesses. Atkinson said the prospect of a battery emergency near a full campground is frightening. Davis said tourism revenue is essential to the county and fears a similar incident could harm local businesses. Accelergen plans to use lithium-iron-phosphate, or LFP, batteries stored in outdoor containers. The containers would occupy less than an acre within a 10-acre fenced area. Battery researcher Donal Finegan of the National Laboratory of the Rockies said LFP batteries are generally less prone to overheating than the nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries involved in the Moss Landing fire. They can withstand higher temperatures, generate less heat during a failure and release fewer toxic particles if they burn, he said. Separating the units into containers can also limit the spread of a fire. The developer says it would monitor the batteries around the clock, install remote shutdown capability and follow national safety standards. It has shared a draft emergency plan with local fire departments and plans to provide training and water tanks. Cortez Fire Protection District Chief Roy Wilkinson said he is waiting for more complete plans before making recommendations, adding that officials need to understand the risks they may face. Accelergen says it moved the battery area after meeting with neighbors. The company says the nearest home would be about 1,800 feet away, beyond the county’s 500-foot minimum. The project has also raised questions about views, dark skies and cultural resources. Mesa Verde became an International Dark Sky Park in 2021. The National Park Service reported that more than 500,000 people visited in 2023, spending nearly $60 million in nearby communities and supporting 776 jobs. Atkinson said campground guests come for the landscape and night skies. Accelergen says the solar field would have no nighttime lighting, while substation lights would be shielded and directed downward. A project-specific lighting study has not been completed, and the company acknowledges the panels would be visible from some park overlooks. Proposed steps to reduce visual impacts include berms, vegetation and wildlife-friendly fencing, though Atkinson says berms could themselves obstruct views. The company says it has consulted with National Park Service officials and contacted the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Archaeological work is planned before construction in areas where cultural resources may be present. Discoveries could lead to changes or delays, but it is not clear whether they could stop the project. Accelergen submitted an application of about 1,000 pages to county planning and zoning officials in early September. The company anticipates a planning hearing in December and a county commissioners’ hearing in the new year, but county officials have not confirmed those dates. If approved, construction would not begin before early 2029 and would depend on grid-connection upgrades. The proposal has entered local politics as voters choose a successor to term-limited District 1 Commissioner Jim Candelaria. Republican candidate Rodney Cox opposes the project. Democrat Rebecca Busic supports it but says commissioners should apply the county’s land-use rules rather than personal preferences; she has also warned that rejecting an application that complies with the code could expose the county to a lawsuit. Commissioner Kent Lindsay is also vice president of Empire Electric’s board, and the cooperative is among the project’s prospective power buyers. Lindsay has recused himself from some matters involving Empire and says he is consulting lawyers about whether he should recuse himself from the Valley Range decision. Residents will have an opportunity to comment during the county review. The four cooperatives’ projected savings and the developer’s estimates of tax revenue and jobs are contingent on the project being built and its eventual output and value.