Marion County Commissioners sign off on Prospect Township solar, wind restrictions
The Marion County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 last Thursday during their final meeting of 2022 to approve a resolution that was submitted by the Prospect Township Trustees. The resolution "designates all unincorporated areas of Prospect Township to be a restricted area prohibiting the construction of an 'economically significantwind farm,' a 'large wind farm,' or a 'large solar facility,' as those terms are defined in the Ohio Revised Code."
Per Section 4 of Ohio Senate Bill 52, which went into effect on Oct. 11, 2021, the restrictions "shall not apply to any application for a certificate, or material amendment to an existing certificate, from the (Ohio) power siting board." Senate Bill 52 allows county commissioners "to prevent Ohio Power Siting Board certification of certain wind and solar facilities by adopting a resolution designating all or part of the unincorporated area of the county as a restricted area."
Prospect now joins joins Big Island, Claridon, Green Camp, Pleasant, Richland, and Salt Rock as townships that have voted to restrict solar and wind facility development. The county commissioners approved the Green Camp Township resolution on Dec. 1. They signed off on the Pleasant Township resolution on June 7. The other four township resolutions were approved on Aug. 18. All of the resolutions were drafted with similar language.
The Waldo Township Trustees have also approved a resolution to restrict solar and wind energy facility development. The Marion County Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on that resolution on Jan. 12 in their chambers at the Marion County Building, 222 W. Center St. in downtown Marion.
Pleasant Township residents have been working for the past few years to prevent the creation of a solar facility there. National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) is the owner of Chestnut Solar LLC, which is seeking to locate a solar facility in Pleasant Township.
According to the Ohio Power Siting Board website, Chestnut Solar is in the pre-application phase. The company's proposed electric generation would be placed on a 404-acre site in eastern Pleasant Township and have a capacity of up to 68 megawatts.
In July of this year, the Marion County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Marion County Solar Project LLC to build a solar farm in northern Marion Township. It's expected to generate $356,000 in annual revenue for the Ridgedale Local School District.
Marion County Solar Project LLC (MCSP) received approval from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) in November 2021 to build a 100 megawatt solar energy facility on approximately 700 acres of land in Marion Township. The company has leased a total of 970 acres of land in the township from property owner Kepford-Gottfried, Inc.
The agreement between the county and Marion County Solar Project LLC calls for the company to pay $1 million to the county when construction of the facility begins and $1 million when the facility becomes operational.
Additionally, the agreement requires MCSP to make an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the county and other applicable tax districts (including Ridgedale Local School District and Marion Township) in the amount of $700,000, under terms of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority tax exemption. That equates to $7,000 per megawatt.
The solar facility's property is bounded on the west side by POET Biorefining and agricultural land and on the east side by Ohio 423. The southern boundary runs along Marion-Williamsport Road West. The northern side of the property borders more agricultural land.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Commissioners sign off on Prospect Township solar, wind restrictions
