County BZA to resume solar farm hearing Sept. 12

BAINBRIDGE — The Putnam County Board of Zoning Appeals will again consider a special exception for Cold Spring Solar Farm with another special meeting set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Like the August special meeting on the matter, it will take place at the Bainbridge Community Center, which allows for more room than the Commissioner’s Courtroom at the Putnam County Courthouse as well as putting it closer to the Russell Township location proposed for the solar project.

This meeting will be separate from the regular monthly BZA meeting, which is set, at the Putnam County Courthouse at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11. It will follow the County Plan Commission meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the courthouse.

The solar farm will be the only item on the agenda of the Sept. 12 special meeting, specifically, if a special exception will be granted to Cold Spring Solar/Arevon Energy to utilize various properties currently zoned as Agriculture 1 as a commercial solar farm.

While a solar farm is an allowed special exception in all zones of Putnam County, such an exception requires certain findings of fact by the BZA: 1) It must not be injurious to the health and safety of the public; 2) It must not affect the value of nearby properties, 3) It will be consistent with the character of the nearby area; and 4) The board may impose conditions.

The construction of a solar farm on approximately 1,400 acres of land in northern Putnam County has been a hotly contested issue since it was first proposed more than a year ago, with many local residents and landowners questioning the removal of quality farmland from production for a period of 30-50 years, as proposed by Arevon’s contracts with the participating landowners.

However, the project has already cleared hurdles with other county governing bodies, with the Putnam County Council approving a 10-year personal property tax abatement on the project late last year, and the Putnam County Commissioners approving an economic development agreement just last month that will pay the county at least $5.7 million and perhaps $6.3 million or more if the project meets or exceeds current estimates of investment and power generation.

During the August BZA special meeting, residents opposed to the project expressed their desire to maintain a certain rural way of life their families have known for generations. Specifically, they have asked multiple times throughout the process that solar energy may be a good thing, but it should not interrupt agricultural production.

Arevon and developer Tenaska have said the location is key to the viability of the project, as it sits near a Duke trunk line. The project was actually initially planned to be mostly or entirely in nearby Montgomery County until the Montgomery County Council put the kibosh on any sort of tax abatement.

Those supporting the project have characterized the solar farm as a step forward, noting that the exact agricultural use of much of the land has evolved over time, and that energy production could simply be the next step.

The five-member BZA, which includes Raymond McCloud, Randy Bee, Kevin Scobee, Lora Scott and Ron Sutherlin, listened to all who were interested in speaking during the previous meeting while also encouraging the public to submit further questions and comments ahead of the September meeting. Tabling the matter also gave Tenaska and Arevon officials the chance to address some of the questions brought up during the previous session.

While it’s not clear if a final decision will be made during this meeting, recent estimates were that, if approval was granted, developers have said the best-case scenario was for construction to begin in 2024 and be done by the end of the year, with power generation by the first quarter of 2025.

If this happened, the county would not see its economic development payment until late 2025 or early 2026, with tax rates likely unaffected until 2027.

Arevon is also still awaiting approval for the proposed farm to even connect with the energy grid, via MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). Without MISO approval, there would be no customers for the energy generated.

MISO approval was supposed to come in July, then was delayed until October, and was more recently estimated at January or February. This is reportedly an industry-wide problem right now.

According to Arevon, the 200-megawatt project would generate enough electricity to power more than 30,000 homes.