Powell Creek Solar
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Powell Creek Solar Project (Project) is a 150 MWac solar facility which will be located on approximately 950 acres of privately-owned land in Palmer and Liberty Townships, Putnam County, Ohio. The Project will generate solar-powered electricity that will maximize energy production from available solar resources in order to deliver clean, renewable electricity to Ohio customers.
The Project will consist of photovoltaic panels, along with access roads, underground electric collection cables, a collection substation, inverters, laydown areas for construction staging, and and an agricultural-style perimeter fence. The energy generated at the Project will deliver power to the new interconnection substation located adjacent to the East Leipsic-Richland 138 kilovolt transmission line. The Project is expected to generate enough electricity to power over 30,000 homes per year.
Economic Benefits.
The Project will provide significant economic stimulus to the area during construction by providing jobs and local contracts for goods and services, and significant long-term revenue to landowners and the community. It is estimated that the Project will contribute over $31 million to local taxing jurisdictions over the life of the Project, with over $5 million going to the Putnam County’s general fund. In addition, the Project will make annual impact payments to Miller City which are expected to catalyze approximately $3.5 million in new investments, enabling Miller City to construct and install a new wastewater treatment system and provide for future growth of the municipality. The Project will represent approximately $150 million in direct investment in Putnam County and is estimated to support as many as 400 jobs during project construction.
SCHEDULE
Acquisition of land and land rights began in 2018 and continued through mid-2020. During this time, outreach was conducted to landowners and community leaders throughout the Project vicinity. Approximately 1,350 acres of privately-owned land have been leased for the Project.
A public information meeting was held on June 29th and 30th, 2020, to facilitate public interaction with the Applicant and expert consultants. The poster boards presented at this meeting are available to view in a section provided in the public information meeting page. The meeting included information on the Applicant; the Project’s location, size, and the supporting rationale; the types of studies and due diligence that will be conducted by the Powell Creek Solar Team; the Ohio Power Siting Board’s review and certification process; and the expected timeline of the Project and construction process. An additional community open house meeting was held on August 15, 2023, to inform the public and answer questions about the planned October 2023 start of construction. Comments about the proposed Project can be submitted on the Submit a comment page.
Final designs are complete, and construction is anticipated to begin October 2nd, 2023. Construction will be completed within approximately 14 to 18 months, at which point Powell Creek Solar will be placed in service.
Go to the OPSB page for more information about the permitting process.