LPEA Includes Dolores Canyon Solar Project, Sparks Local Debate
A KOTO feature published on November 19, 2025 reported that La Plata Electric Association plans to include a 110 MW Dolores Canyon Solar project in its renewable portfolio while also developing a 1.7 MW community solar array in Durango. The announcement matters to Dolores County residents because it brings county land use decisions, grid reliability concerns, and local control debates into sharper focus as utilities and local governments navigate a multiyear process.
La Plata Electric Association formally placed a 110 MW Dolores Canyon Solar project on its renewable planning list, and continued work on a 1.7 MW community solar array in Durango, according to a KOTO feature published on November 19, 2025. The move was reported amid ongoing county moratoria and contentious land use fights across the Western Slope, raising immediate questions for Dolores County about permitting, local benefits, and the timeline for development.
The KOTO reporting framed the Dolores project within a broader regional debate over where and how to site utility scale solar. Counties across the Western Slope have used moratoria as a tool to reassess zoning and permitting rules, a pattern that has slowed some projects while prompting more careful scrutiny of trade offs between clean energy goals and local priorities. The article drew on perspectives from county residents, LPEA leadership, and energy policy experts to explore those practical and political tensions.
Federal and federal lab guidance also featured in the reporting. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory timeline for utility scale builds is generally four to five years from concept to operation, a span that includes permitting, interconnection studies, and construction. For Dolores County that timeline means decisions made now will shape land uses and economic impacts well into the latter part of the decade, while permitting delays or local restrictions could extend the schedule further.
The community solar array in Durango represents a smaller scale approach aimed at providing distributed benefits and local access to renewables. The larger Dolores Canyon project would require more extensive land and transmission planning. The KOTO story highlighted two of the most common concerns voiced in communities across the region, reliability and local control. Residents and local leaders have told reporters they want assurances that new solar resources will not leave them solely responsible for transmission costs and reliability backstops, and that local governments will retain meaningful say over siting decisions.
For Dolores County the trade offs are tangible. A significant solar installation could bring tax revenue, construction jobs, and new lease income for landowners, but it could also change landscapes important to ranching, wildlife, and community identity. County permitting choices will affect whether the project moves forward on a timeline that aligns with LPEA planning and the NREL estimates, or whether additional review will reshape the proposal.
The KOTO feature is part three of a four part series exploring solar in Western Colorado. As local officials, residents, and LPEA continue discussions, attention will shift to formal permitting processes, interconnection studies, and the question of how to balance regional decarbonization goals with county level priorities and community expectations.
