Two photo voltaic farms deliberate for the McCracken County location are in varied phases of improvement.
Representatives of the McCracken County Photo voltaic undertaking stated they’ll share progress updates at a public listening to with the McCracken County Board of Adjustment in a few weeks. In the meantime, Ragland Photo voltaic undertaking representatives are working to include neighborhood suggestions into design plans throughout undertaking improvement.
Locations referred to as McCracken County in america
The McCracken County Board of Adjustment has scheduled a public listening to on January 18 to debate the conditional use allow issued to McCracken County Photo voltaic, LLC in November 2021, in keeping with a public discover printed in The Paducah Solar on January 5.
McCracken County Photo voltaic is now owned by power company AES, which purchased out former proprietor Group Vitality in December 2021. McCracken County Photo voltaic plans a 60-megawatt photo voltaic farm on 616 acres of land in Kevil north of Massey Highway , between Bethel Church Highway and New Liberty Church Highway.
Below McCracken County’s zoning ordinance, business photo voltaic power methods bigger than half an acre are allowed underneath the situation that they be used solely in agricultural zones.
Initially, the Board of Adjustment denied the photo voltaic undertaking’s conditional use allow in October 2021. Nonetheless, after a second public listening to in November 2021, which included testimony from neighborhood leaders in regards to the undertaking’s potential constructive financial affect , the board finally voted to grant McCracken County Photo voltaic a conditional use allow.
Below Kentucky Revised Statutes 100.237(3), in instances the place a conditional use allow has not been used inside one yr of the date of its issuance, or such different closing dates as could also be prescribed, “such conditional use allow is not going to be returned to its authentic designation. until there’s a public listening to.” Exercised, as used within the KRS statute when the development is a part of the usage of a conditional use allow, which means that the primary constructing or renovations are nonetheless underneath development to a big extent, the binding contracts for some constructions are allowed, or vital situations involving giant quantities. funding underneath contract, in improvement, accomplished.
In a letter dated December 14, 2022 despatched from McCracken County Planning and Zoning Administrator Greg Cannon notifying McCracken County Photo voltaic proprietor AES of the January 18 public listening to, Cannon wrote, “The allow McCracken County Photo voltaic’s conditional use allow was authorised on November 17, 2021, and this workplace has not obtained a website plan, decommissioning plan, or proof that the conditional use allow was in use by December 14, 2022.”
“On the aforementioned assembly, the Board would respect an replace on the standing of the undertaking and when it expects to obtain these supplies,” Cannon wrote in a Dec. 14 letter addressed to AES Allowing Mission Supervisor Jenn D Augustine.
In an announcement to The Solar, AES Senior Improvement Supervisor Lauren Brunsdale stated the upcoming listening to is “for the renewal of the present conditional use allow issued in 2021.”
Brunsdale stated the beginning of development on the McCracken County Photo voltaic Tasks has been delayed resulting from ongoing Midcontinent Unbiased System Operator interconnection research delays. MISO is the regional grid operator that covers a lot of the center of the nation, together with western Kentucky. Brunsdale stated that power initiatives that connect with {the electrical} grid can’t start development till they obtain the interconnection research outcomes and a ultimate settlement with the grid operator that enables the undertaking to attach.
“The MISO interconnection research for this undertaking have been delayed by MISO 18 occasions, pushing the outcomes again two years up to now. These ongoing MISO interconnection research delays have an effect on 600 initiatives throughout the area, together with McCracken County Photo voltaic,” Brunsdale stated in a written assertion to The Solar.
When the undertaking’s conditional use allow was first authorised in 2021, undertaking leaders on the time stated the expectation was to construct by 2022, with the purpose of getting the system operational by the top of that yr.
Regardless of the delays within the MISO research, Brunsdale stated AES is constant to maneuver ahead with the undertaking in accordance with the conditional use allow. Brunsdale stated AES plans to supply an replace on its improvement efforts over the previous yr at an upcoming Board of Adjustment listening to.
“AES will personal and function the undertaking in McCracken County for a very long time, so we’re devoted to being accomplice and proceed to construct on the native partnerships we’ve developed to make sure the undertaking delivers sustainable advantages. advantages the neighborhood,” Brunsdale stated.
The county’s Board of Adjustment might take into account whether or not to revoke the conditional use allow allowed by the KRS statute, Cannon wrote to AES.
Ragland Photo voltaic Mission
Final October, representatives of BrightNight and its Ragland Photo voltaic undertaking held a neighborhood assembly to ask the general public to be taught in regards to the deliberate photo voltaic farm undertaking and for the general public to supply suggestions on the undertaking. The assembly is step one BrightNight should take for its state allow course of.
BrightNight plans a photo voltaic farm undertaking estimated to succeed in 1,000 acres in McCracken County. Louisville Gasoline and Electrical Firm and Kentucky Utilities Firm have an settlement with BrightNight to buy renewable power credit from the power produced by the Ragland Photo voltaic undertaking.
From the October assembly, BrightNight Director of Improvement Tyler Coon stated the group obtained “helpful” suggestions and included suggestions that Coon stated will result in a revised structure of the photo voltaic panels, extra landscaping and up to date setbacks.
“We proceed to organize for native and state allowing and are on observe inside the undertaking’s improvement part,” Coon wrote in an announcement to The Solar. “Whereas we’re excited to maneuver ahead, we really feel that permitting enough time to collect native suggestions and conduct technical research is a crucial a part of our dedication to being a trusted native accomplice.”
Moreover, Coon stated BrightNight has accomplished environmental and hydrology research that may assist the corporate guarantee its design is appropriate with native wildlife and neighbors close to the undertaking website.
Coon stated BrightNight is working with KU to find out an acceptable energy supply date for the Ragland undertaking, which he stated will finally dictate the beginning of development. He expects development to start in late 2023 or 2024.
BrightNight is within the means of delivering two gigawatts of renewable power throughout Kentucky, which Coon stated additionally features a deliberate undertaking in Ballard County.
