After years of delays and multiple permit extensions, a long-planned solar energy project near Bar Nunn is moving closer to construction, with a new deadline that would give developers until March 2029 to get started.

The Natrona County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended extending the project’s construction start deadline to align with an extension already granted by the state. The proposal now awaits a final decision from the Natrona County commissioners, who will consider the extension at a future meeting.

The project — originally proposed by Dinosolar LLC and later acquired by NextEra Energy — is a utility-scale solar project proposed just west of Bar Nunn that would generate 240 megawatts of electricity and battery storage.

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Industrial Siting Council extended the company’s permit earlier this year, allowing construction to begin no later than March 3, 2029.

Continued delays have forced the company to seek extensions from Natrona County and the state to begin construction. Pushing back construction has also burdened local fire departments with advance costs without immediate reimbursement, which the company aims to rectify, project director Glenn Shober told the commission Tuesday.

Natrona County commissioners first approved a conditional use permit for Dinosolar in 2020 and extended it in 2022.

The latest extension would give the company more time to adapt to shifting market conditions and coordinate construction with the expected availability of materials, planning technician Madeline Pennington told the commission.

The project would also be built in a single phase rather than two, project director Glenn Shober said, a change he said would make it more competitive.

“Together, we can proceed with the long-awaited, improved and much-needed energy generation project,” Shober said.

The redesigned project would shrink the planned solar array from more than 3,500 acres to roughly 2,400 acres. The smaller footprint represents an “efficient and better land use plan,” Shober said.

Shober attributed the delays to the project’s commercial timeline and the process of securing an interconnection agreement to link the facility to the electrical grid.

“We believe we have solved both of those through our large generating interconnection agreement with the utility owner, which puts us on a correct timeline,” Shober said.

Construction would require around 18 to 20 months and temporarily employ 400 workers, Shober said. He added that the company would pay for any necessary improvements to Melodi Lane and Renauna Avenue.

Since 2020, NextEra has invested $2 billion into Wyoming, including seven energy centers, and is the fourth largest non-mineral taxpayer in the state, Shober said.

© 2026 Casper Star Tribune, Wyo.. Visit www.trib.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.