Mills County’s Zoning Board gave the green light to the 3,200‑acre Folsom Lake Solar Project, a wind‑shaped ribbon of panels set to stretch west of Interstate 29 by the Missouri River. The unanimous vote clears the way for a massive renewable hub that could reshape the county’s economic landscape.
Tom Green, who tills 400 acres of his family’s land, said the approval could translate into a steady $1,200 per acre lease that would outpace the historic lows of crop prices. "We're getting crop prices that we got in the 1950s," Green told KETV, adding that the rising cost of machinery and tariffs are squeezing farmers' margins.
Rick Frost, another local farmer, chipped in that parts of Mills County suffer from poorer soil, making solar a welcome rest for the land. He hopes the project will let him retire, hand over a profitable plot to his children, and keep the fields productive.
Orion Renewable Energy Group, the developer, plans to generate 800 MW—enough to power 144,000 Iowan homes—and is projecting $36 million in local tax revenue over 35 years. The company will also inject millions in grant funding through the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and create 10 to 15 permanent jobs on site, plus hundreds of temporary construction roles.
The developers pledged to compensate people living within a third of a mile who don’t lease their land, while the Mills County Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings before forwarding the application for final approval. Orion expects to secure the remaining environmental and construction permits in the next year, with construction slated to start early 2028 and finish within the same calendar year.