By Linda Kor –
The proposed plan for a solar electrical generating facility to be constructed north of Snowflake amidst the Dry Lake wind farms has been put on hold by the company until an interested buyer for the electricity is found.
“We are really happy with our Dry Lake I and II projects, but we won’t go into building a project unless someone is lined up to purchase the product,” explained Jan Johnson, Iberdrola’s spokeswoman.
A special use permit was approved for Aurora Solar, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors last August, allowing for a solar facility to be constructed on approximately 399 acres located four miles north of Snowflake. At that time the company stated that the facility would be complete by the end of 2012 and providing approximately 200 jobs during the six to nine-month construction phase, with one to two permanent positions once the facility went into operation.
According to the Navajo County Planning and Zoning Department, there is no expiration date on the special use permit.
