Mohave County, Ariz., Supervisors unanimously approved general plan amendments that allow a large-scale proposed 1200MW solar project to go head despite opposition from railroad officials, Havasu News reports. The vote came down after BNSF officials pleaded with supervisors for a continuance citing safety concerns surrounding Needle Mountain Power's Sterling Solar Generating Facility, slotted to set up shop northwest of the Interstate 40 and State Route 95 interchange.

The study would center on "glare and glint" reflecting off the mirror-like surfaces of the 50,000 Suncatcher dish-type panels associated with the project. Railroad officials said the glare and glint could prevent train engineers from properly perceiving signals or even create phantom signals, which could ultimately mislead train engineers. The safety risks were equated to the costly outcomes including having to stop a moving train, a train derailment or even a train collision, the BNSF officials said.

BNSF said studies have shown that one Suncatcher dish needs 223 feet to avoid the problem. The information is based on a sole Suncatcher, not 50,000 as is proposed.

Chris Ballard, of county planning and zoning, said the project comes within 600 feet of the railroad's right-of-way in a section spanning about two miles on the westernmost portion of the 10,000-acre land parcel.

County supervisors told the railway officials that delays could hinder the project's progress. The supervisors' staff said BNSF had been mailed a notice to its Kingman-based operations office June 14.

"I had known that (Sterling Solar) had gone to the railroad with negotiations for development of a rail spur for industrial development in that area," said Supervisor Buster Johnson, R-Dist. 3, after the meeting. "Nobody is going to put that much (money and time) into a project and have it derail a train and get shut down."

The supervisors did amend the project's rezone approval to include a liaison between BNSF and Sterling Solar to reach an agreement.

"(The overall approval) is very, very important," said Michael Clinton, co-manager of Needle Mountain Power. "The PNZ and their staff has been a tremendous group to work with. (Monday's) result is because of really excellent staff work that has been done on (the project) in the past four or five months."

Clinton said he was surprised BNSF railway "hadn't done their homework," especially after he has made many efforts in the past year to inform them of ongoing public meetings centering on the project.

An environmental compliance process and the site plan process is the next hurdle the project's coordinators will face. Development efforts for both will begin in early 2011, Clinton said.

The site plan process in particular will present an opportunity to resolve any concerns surrounding of the project. BNSF and their safety concerns and the expressed need for improved transportation and infrastructure by stakeholders along the eastern edge of the property are already on Clinton's radar, he said. The strategy is to open the site plan process up to the public, the stakeholders and any other interested parties well in advance of presenting it to the county, Clinton said.