The petition was filed by Starke Solar LLC d/b/a Mammoth Solar.
BZA president Derrick Stalbaum guided the four-hour meeting, which included over two hours of public comment, before a large gathering at the county highway meeting room in Winamac. The meeting began with an overview of the project by Mammoth Solar presenters, and concluded with a review of the findings and requirements of the zoning board. The vote for approval ended the hearing.
Late last summer the BZA granted a similar zoning request for the first phase of the Mammoth project which also drew great public interest. Late in 2019 Pulaski County updated its zoning ordinances to accommodate potential solar projects. That action, along with the electric transmission lines which cross the county have attracted the interest of solar power companies. It also raises the potential for much needed revenue for the county.
Dozens of persons spoke at Monday’s hearing, both for and against the project, on topics ranging from debate on the best use of land currently used for agriculture production to the benefits of transition to clean energy production.
The petition considered by the BZA was as follows:
Mammoth Solar/GEG is requesting installation of commercial solar panels in three separate areas which include the following locations:
North - approximately 347.78 acres in Franklin Township
Central - approximately 2,483.54 acres in Franklin, Jefferson, Monroe and Rich Grove townships
South - approximately 1,860.716 acres in Jefferson Township
These properties comprise a second phase of land identification for the project, including an expansion of green space and setback area surrounding the solar panels, company officials report.
The application and all submitted documentation including specific parcel data are available for review from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays in the building/zoning department at the County Building in Winamac. They may also be viewed online at: gov.pulaskionline.org
Background
GEG Renewables announced plans last year to develop a clean energy project, known as Mammoth Solar, in Pulaski County. The project will include acreage in both Pulaski and Starke counties. (Note of interest: the Mammoth name was selected in reference to the pre-historic skeletal bones discovered of the Mastodon creatures in the area over past decades.)
In August, the Pulaski County Board of Zoning Appeals voted to grant a special exception to the county’s zoning ordinance to a first phase of land parcels in order to facilitate the proposed multi-million-dollar solar project in the county.
The clean energy project will produce 1.3 gigawatts of electricity and involve an estimated investment “in the $1 billion range,” Nathan Origer of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission reported at the time. The company behind the project, Global Energy Generation LLC (GEG), has offices in Chicago, Philadelphia and Tel Aviv.
GEG president and CEO Nick Cohen told those present at last summer’s hearings that solar projects in the U.S. are moving into the northern states. He explained Pulaski County is a “special” location because it has two electric grid systems that come together locally. The properties along those grids “are highly desirable,” he said.
Cohen added that Pulaski County in the last year had made the commitment to design a zoning ordinance to accommodate solar “farms.” “Pulaski County has a competitive edge” for this reason, he said.
In the meantime, project developers continue to work on compliance with a “laundry list” of state and federal requirements, as well as the conditions to be met with the county’s plan commission and building department.
A timetable for project construction to begin and be completed has not been announced.
