Hollister council members Monday approved a contract to provide emergency response services to the Panoche Valley Solar Project.
Developers of the 247-megawatt solar project on 2,400 acres in Panoche are awaiting final permitting approval from four state and federal agencies. They hope to start construction in the fall and need to finish by the end of 2016 to receive a 30 percent tax credit from the federal government.
Council members agreed to allocate $147,452 for a “type 6” apparatus that will be on site during the 18-month construction window. The total contract amount between the city and solar company for services and equipment is $678,328, according to the council agenda report.
During construction, the city will have two fire personnel at the facility Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fire apparatus will remain property of the city after the contract ends.
