Two Kansas solar farms would convert nearly 3,000 acres of farmland near Wichita

Sedgwick County officials are considering approval for two massive solar farms just southwest of Wichita.

The renewable energy projects would help power an expected surge in energy demand fueled largely by an impending hyperscale data-center boom to support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.

The two solar projects combined would convert nearly 3,000 acres of farmland into solar generation and battery storage facilities that tie into the Evergy transmission grid. Cropland would be converted to solar panel arrays capable of capturing sunlight and converting it to usable energy and feeding it into the power grid.

For reference, that’s roughly 10 times the size of Wichita State University’s main campus and almost 20 times the size of Sim Golf Course.

The Galena Solar Project — a 260-megawatt solar energy project on approximately 1,490 acres west from Ridge to 119th and south of 47th to 71st — received preliminary approval earlier this month from the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. Once completed, it would be bigger than the largest existing solar farm in the state located near Medicine Lodge but smaller than planned developments in Finney, Coffey and Johnson counties.

The Branch Line Solar Project — a 130-megawatt solar energy project on 1,359.6 acres west of Maize Road to 151st and south of 71st to 87th — could receive approval from the MAPC on June 25.

Both projects would be eligible for the state’s 10-year state property tax exemptions for renewable-energy-generating properties after completion, although the change in land type from agricultural to commercial at an associated battery storage facility, which would not be exempt, would also result in a substantial increase in property taxes collected in the area.

“The only major impact to the local economy would be changing the use of roughly 1,500 acres of agricultural land from crop production to power generation,” Mission Clean Energy said in its application. “However, this impact is largely expected to be positive.”

For example, Mission Clean Energy estimates the cropland it is converting to solar energy use would produce roughly $456,000 a year from the sale of crops while the sale of power under a power purchase agreement is expected to be $82 million a year, according to the company’s application.

Both projects are being developed near Evergy’s Murray Gill substation to easily feed Evergy’s power grid when the project is completed.

Both projects also would bolster the energy portfolio of foreign-backed companies.

Mission Clean Energy, the developer for the Galena project, is backed by two primary investors: Wafra, owned by the Public Institution of Social Security of Kuwait, and Orsted, majority-owned by the Danish government.

Ted Renewables, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tyr Energy developing the Branch Line project, is the North American clean energy division of Japanese conglomerate Itochu Corporation.

The conditional use permits are subject to final approval by the Sedgwick County Commission at a later date. That consideration could potentially come as early as Aug. 5.

In response to pushback from residents, Sedgwick County commissioners are expected to vote Wednesday on whether to impose a six-month moratorium on solar energy project permit applications. The existing zoning regulations on solar projects were approved after a yearlong moratorium from September 2023 to September 2024.

The new moratorium — proposed by Commission Chairman Jeff Blubaugh, who represents the area where the solar farms would be built — would have no effect on the two southwest Sedgwick County projects.

“Since taking office, we have had two solar applications submitted under the existing regulations,” Blubaugh said in a recent statement. “As we continue learning more about solar energy and hearing from residents across the county, several commissioners have expressed interest in reviewing the current rules to determine whether updates may be needed.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:13 AM with the headline "Two Kansas solar farms would convert nearly 3,000 acres of farmland near Wichita."