Ohio greenlights massive solar, storage and agrivoltaics project
While the project will spur millions in revenue and economic activity in the region every year, the residents of the townships closest to the installation have voiced disapproval of the proposed solar farm, citing loss of farmland, rural character and property values, as well as potential environmental impacts.
The OPSB has the final say over what power plants get built in Ohio and has already approved several smaller utility-scale solar farms in the county in the face of similar opposition.
Although many citizens oppose the Oak Run project because they fear it will threaten the agricultural legacy of the region, the proposed site includes 2,000 acres devoted to farming and grazing.
The contentious debate has pitted local township governments and residents against proponents of the project, including labor unions, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and environmentalists. These groups support the jobs, revenue and clean power the plant would provide. The project will create thousands of jobs in the yearslong construction phase, along with over 60 long-term positions in operations and maintenance — a point not lost on labor union members.
Patrick Hook, business manager and financial secretary of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 683, submitted this comment: “Members of IBEW 683 are excited to have opportunities to work close to home, allowing them to return to their families for dinner after a hard day’s work.”
It is estimated that the project will generate $7.2 million every year in new revenue for the county and surrounding townships and school districts over its estimated 35-year life.
Construction of Oak Run is expected to begin in 2025.
This won’t be the last time that solar farm construction at the utility scale proves to be a divisive issue in American farm country. Between 2017 and 2022, solar installations on U.S. farms increased by 30 percent, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture.
In order for the U.S. to eliminate fossil fuels from the grid, projects like Oak Run must continue to get built, no matter how heated the debate around them gets.
Correction: This article originally identified “Royal Dutch Shell” as Savion’s parent company. The oil and gas supermajor now goes by “Shell.”
