There is a current proposed 180-megawatt Sloopy Solar Energy Center proposed in Harmony Twp. between South Charleston and South Vienna that could power up to 33,000 homes if the full 1,600-acre project gets built.
Clark County Commissioners will not have a say over this project and it will not be voted on or brought before the board, except the ability to appoint an individual to represent them on the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) during that agency’s oversight of the project.
The project is partially grandfathered in, according to the OPSB, because they received a system impact study and paid fees before October 2021. It was already in motion before passage of Senate Bill 52 in the fall of 2021, which allows a board of county commissioners to prohibit the construction of utility-scale wind or solar facilities altogether or in certain designated zones in unincorporated areas.
In 2022, Clark County Commissioners unanimously rejected a proposal to ban creation of large solar and wind farms in unincorporated parts of the county. This meant property owners in unincorporated areas of Clark County could lease or sell their land for potential large wind and solar facilities if they wish.
Resident Adam Frantz is in favor of property owners having a choice and hopes commissioners will “remember how they voted in 2022.”
“The power to evaluate future projects, it is squarely in your hands already, and I think that is a great thing. Senate Bill 52 gave you guys that authority as the commissioners, every future project comes to your table,” he said. “I hope that you can find a place to preserve the property rights of landowners in Clark County so that if something were to come in the future, that would make sense that you would have the ability to approve that.”
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 3, at the Arts and Crafts Building, Clark County Fairgrounds, 4401 S. Charleston Pike.
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