280MW project proposed for 3 Logan County townships
Two public meetings are planned in the next week to discuss the proposed Fountain Point Solar Project, which would be located on approximately 3,860 acres in Bokescreek, Perry and Rushcreek Townships in Logan County, with construction that could begin as early as the first quarter of 2023.
Landowners and residents who reside in that area are gathering at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Perry Township Community Building in East Liberty to discuss the effort and their concerns, neighbors Kara Slonecker and Paul Schaller reported to the Examiner this week. They invite others to attend their gathering to share insights.
This meeting is being planned in advance of a Wednesday, Jan 12, public information meeting at Benjamin Logan Middle School that is hosted by Fountain Point Solar Energy LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Invenergy.
The open house style session invites attendees to arrive anytime between 6 and 8 p.m to meet with company representatives on hand to answer questions about the proposed facility, which would have a maximum total generating capacity of up to 280 megawatts, enough to power 55,000 homes, representatives said.
The purpose of the facility is to generate electricity to inject into the local transmission grid, with commercial operation anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. Area farmers and land owners sign lease agreements for the company to use the land designated for this purpose.
Under land use agreements, the project can operate for approximately 45 years, at which point the owner of the facility is responsible for removing the facility. The project components are removed and recycled and the land would be returned to its current use, company officials previously reported during a presentation at an October Benjamin Logan Board of Education meeting.
Slonecker noted that approximately 140 homes would border this proposed solar energy center, including her property and Schaller’s.
Schaller stated that his home and 2-acre property along State Route 47 will be surrounded on three sides by the solar farm.
“I didn’t move out to the country to look at solar panels,” he said of his residence about one mile west of West Mansfield, where he has resided since 2007.
“I feel like there aren’t any benefits to those of who will be residing right by the solar farm. They are just sending the electricity right back into the grid.”
In 2014, Slonecker said she and her family moved from Indiana to their 12-acre property along Township Road 132, which would potentially be bordered on two sides by the solar energy center.
“We purposefully wanted to live here; we have a 2-acre pond and are developing a hobby farm as well. It’s where my husband and I wanted to retire and spend the rest of our years.
“Just a few weeks ago, I was informed of the solar project after receiving a letter in the mail about the meeting coming up on Jan. 12.
“Since then, I’ve been trying to research the ‘pros’ and the ‘cons’ of this type of solar farm, and so far, I’m not finding a lot of ‘pros.’ I’ve talked with representatives from the company and with people in other states who have had projects locate close to them. I’m worried that it will affect our property values and that it will take away from our way of life out in the country.”
Noting that she previously worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, Slonecker said she is in favor of projects that help the environment.
“I like the idea of solar power and using that to provide free electricity to help those living in the area, but that is not happening here…Being right up against people’s properties, I don’t feel like there’s a lot of positives with that.”
Like all energy generation projects in Ohio, the Fountain Point Solar Energy Center will have to go through the Ohio Power Siting Board permitting process. Fountain Point Solar anticipates filing its application with the Ohio Siting Board within 90 days of the Jan. 12 public information meeting.
“The Invenergy team is focused on conducting all the necessary studies and due diligence required of that process as well as working with participating landowners, community members and all appropriate officials to move the project forward,” representatives said on the project website at www.fountainpointsolar.com.
The Ohio Power Siting Board accepts written comments on the project from interested persons at any time, as well as written or oral testimony from any person. All correspondence and petitions to intervene for this project must include reference to Case No.: 21-1231-EL-BGN.
Invenergy operates other solar energy centers in Ohio, which also includes one currently operational project in Hardin County and another proposed site, along with projects developing in Union and Franklin counties, Invenergy representative Daniel Vertucci said during the recent Benjamin Logan board meeting.