Union Ridge Solar project approved by state, but construction delayed

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Leeward Renewable Energy said it plans to begin construction by early next year on a 108-megawatt solar field in Harrison Township following last week's Ohio Power Siting Board approval of the application from Leeward subsidiary Union Ridge Solar.

Union Ridge Solar previously announced plans to begin construction early this year and finish in late 2022 on its solar‑powered electric generating facility near the AEP Kirk substation on Watkins Road. The project area will be 523 acres of farm property north of Refugee Road, west of York Road, south of Blacks Road and on both sides of Watkins Road.

The Ohio Power Siting Board's report included answers to questions from the public, including this one: "I would like to know who is actually contracting for the electricity that would be generated?"

The response was, "The project is expected to have a purchase power agreement with Amazon."

The facility will occupy about 449 acres within the 523-acre project area, according to the OPSB announcement of its approval. The facility will consist of large arrays of solar panels and associated facilities, including access roads, an operations and maintenance facility, electric collection lines, a collection substation and transmission line, and weather stations, the OPSB stated.

State Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, a member of the OPSB, said the board's approval process did not delay the project.

“Nothing slowed the process through Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the OPSB," Hottinger said.

Leeward said it decided to push the construction schedule to accommodate a very thorough OPSB review and contractor solicitation process.

Hottinger said the key criteria considered in approving such a project are meeting the requirements and the public reaction.

"The big thing is feedback from the community," Hottinger said. "Certainly, some people are not enthusiastic and have some concerns, but for the most part it’s been warmly embraced by residents and local officials.”

The Dallas-based company released a statement saying construction will begin in the first quaretr of 2023 and should be operational by the end of 2023. The community will be notified prior to start of construction.

"In line with Leeward’s values, Union Ridge will be responsibly developed and include robust visual screening, native pollinator friendly seed mixes, and game-friendly fencing that will support the agriculture landscape and aesthetic.

“Construction is expected to create over 300 jobs and, once operational, the facility will contribute about $969,000 annually through the payment in lieu of taxes program for the project’s entire life span. The project will create significant economic benefits for the community, with the most significant impacts being felt at the local school system.”

Union Ridge Solar previously announced it would pay $7,000 per megawatt, per year to all of the taxing districts in the area based on the current distribution of taxes. In addition, the agreement provides an additional $2,000 per megawatt, per year, solely to Licking County government. The county would receive about $215,400 annually for 30 years, or $6.5 million.

The annual payments to local taxing districts include about $445,000 each year to Southwest Licking Schools. The other recipients are West Licking Joint Fire District, Licking County government, Harrison Township, Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County, Pataskala Library, Licking Park District, and Muskingum Watershed.

Supporters and opponents of the facility shared their views at an Aug. 31 Ohio Power Siting Board public hearing.

Matt Lamp, a fourth-generation farmer in four counties, spoke at the August hearing on behalf of the Harrison Township landowners who will lease their land to Union Ridge Solar. He said the Union Ridge project “will allow us to diversify and keep the farm going for generations.”

The land has historically been used for corn and soybeans. The property will be leased from the Lamp family for at least 30 years.

Representatives of Grow Licking County and the Southwest Licking Local School District also spoke in favor of the project.

But Harrison Township residents living adjacent to the site or nearby, spoke in opposition to the project. They raised health concerns from the materials in solar panels, the potential impacts on home values, the changing landscapape and the view from neighboring properties.

The United Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio welcomed Intel Corporation to the state, saying the company's $20 billion investment in building a major semiconductor manufacturing facility in Jersey Township is a sign Ohio’s growing solar energy economy provides a competitive foundation for the future.

Intel has committed to a 100% renewable energy supply by 2030 to power its global manufacturing operations, including its new facility in Licking County.

A USSEC video includes comments from former Grow Licking County Executive Director Nate Strum, recorded while he was still with GLC, about the solar energy industry.

"Ohio continues to be a very competitive environment for site selection opportunities, but we have to make sure that we have all of the tools in the toolbox necessary to make sure we are as competitive as possible and alternative energy — access to solar energy in particular — is going to be one of those tools going forward," Strum said.

Also pending before the Ohio Power Siting Board is an application from Open Road Renewables, based in Austin, Texas, for a 350-megawatt solar project in in northwestern Licking County.

The proposed Harvey Solar Project is a solar-powered electric generation facility on approximately 2,630 acres scattered throughout Hartford and Bennington townships, with about 1 million solar panels connected to American Electric Power’s Croton substation about a mile north of Hartford, on Clover Valley Road.

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

740-973-4539

Twitter: @kmallett1958

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Union Ridge Solar project approved by state, but construction delayed