Las Animas schedules March 3 SUP 2026-001 hearing; Cornflower hearing April 9

Las Animas County’s Board of County Commissioners published a regular-meeting agenda that lists a public hearing at 10:00 a.m. on SUP 2026‑001, an item the agenda places alongside fuel bids, aggregate crushing and key contracts. The posted agenda shows a public hearing scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on SUP 2026‑001 for the March 3, 2026 meeting, and residents seeking documents or to speak can request the SUP 2026‑001 application from the Las Animas County clerk or monitor county meeting minutes.

Separately, Alamosa County commissioners have scheduled what was described as a public hearing on a new 1041 permit application for Wednesday, April 9 as part of a regular meeting. “The three commissioners will hold a public hearing on the new 1041 permit application this Wednesday, April 9, as part of its regularly scheduled meeting.” The two calendar items — Las Animas County’s SUP 2026‑001 and the April 9 1041 hearing — are not explicitly linked in public postings, and county records will be needed to confirm whether they concern the same project or parcels.

The solar project name used in regional filings is Cornflower Solar, developed by Korsail Energy, which is described as a Denver-based company. The Cornflower project’s earlier 1041 filing proposed a 90MWac solar system and an 80MW battery energy storage system; that July 2024 filing was rejected at the Alamosa County commissioner level. “Korsail and its ‘Cornflower Solar’ project found rejection at the Alamosa County commissioner level when it first filed for a 1041 permit to build its proposed 90MWac solar system and 80MW battery energy storage system. That was in July 2024…”

Project location details in filings place the site “between County Rd 3 South and County Road 5 South about 4 miles west of Alamosa.” Korsail has said it plans to deliver power into the Xcel Energy system; “A 1041 permit is required for projects that are considered ‘major’ in scope, which certainly defines the Cornflower Solar project and its plan to deliver solar to the Xcel Energy power system.” Korsail’s corporate filings indicate a 2022 financing relationship with SolRiver Capital to support a broader 2GW development program: “In 2022 Korsail Energy secured an undisclosed amount of money from SolRiver Capital investment fund to help it complete 2GW of solar and storage projects.”

Local opposition and mitigation remain central to the permitting record. The initial 1041 filing ran into what was described as “a buzzsaw of opposition from state and federal wildlife officials concerned with the project’s proximity to the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge and Rock Creek and the Playa Blanca State Wildlife Area.” Korsail’s subsequent application says it expanded leased acreage and redesigned the project area to address wildlife and environmental concerns, and county commissioners later required a safety condition: both sides attended a March meeting where commissioners ruled that Korsail Energy “would have to bring a permanent water supply onto the site to handle any fire that may arise.”

At the Alamosa County level in the earlier vote, Commissioner Arlan Van Ry supported the first application, with Commissioners Lori Laske and Vern Heersink voting it down. Las Animas County’s March 3 agenda item SUP 2026‑001 does not include a project description in the published line-item; confirmation of whether SUP 2026‑001 is tied to Cornflower Solar requires review of the application packet at the Las Animas County clerk’s office and the April 9 hearing record for the 1041 application. County meeting records and permit applications will determine jurisdiction, capacity figures and any conditions tied to these parallel calendar items.