County Council to decide on solar abatement Tuesday

Whatever the Putnam County Council decides Tuesday evening, a developer will not be breaking ground on a solar farm in Russell Township in the immediate future.

In considering the abatement request for the proposed Cold Spring Solar Farm, a no vote from the Council will stop the effort in its tracks, while an affirmative vote will leave the effort with at least two more hurdles to clear.

The first of these is a trio of agreements between the Putnam County Commissioners and developer Tenaska along with ultimate solar farm operator Arevon Energy Inc. The agreements include an economic development payment, road use and decommissioning.

There would also remain the matter of going before the Putnam County Board of Zoning Appeals for a special exception, at which time the five-member board could impose restrictions upon the land as part of granting the special exception for solar power generation.

The abatement remains the matter at hand, though.

The question is not only whether to grant abatement to the 2,300-acre, 200-megawatt solar farm, but if so, what kind of abatement?

An abatement could go in two ways — it could be a 10-year “tax phase-in” during which taxes go from $0 to the full amount over the period or it could be 10 years of full abatement, or no taxes paid.

Should the latter be approved, Arevon’s economic development payment to the county would likely be higher.

Tenaska and Arevon have said that the economics of the solar farm do not work without the granting of abatement. In fact, the central focus of the facility was shifted from Montgomery County to Putnam earlier this year when the Montgomery County Council denied the abatement request.

The decision by the Council will be reported on www.bannergraphic.com as well as in the Friday, Dec. 23 print edition.

The Putnam County Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Putnam County Courthouse.