The first public hearing on the project will be held before the county board of zoning appeals (BZA) at 6 p.m., Monday (July 27), at the Pulaski County highway garage in Winamac. The board will conduct a review of the Mammoth Solar project and consider a request for a special exception of zoning ordinances to accommodate the project.

The company behind the project is Global Energy Generation LLC (GEG), which has offices in Chicago, Philadelphia and Tel Aviv.

Origer reports two or three companies have been looking at Pulaski County to establish solar farms. GEG is the biggest, but not the first to express an interest in the county. However, GEG is the only one far enough into the process for county officials to begin overseeing the compliance process with zoning and other local regulations, to assess the potential financial benefits, and to scheduling hearings.

The possible financial benefits to the county, in terms of taxes and other factors, is in the early calculation process, Origer explained. Baker Tilly of Mishawaka, the county’s financial advisory firm, is currently reviewing the proposed project and its possible financial impact on the county.

Pulaski County building inspector and zoning plan administrator Doug Hoover reports the county does have an ordinance for commercial solar power projects. The county updated its zoning plan for utility projects a couple of years ago. The plan includes specific ordinances for potential solar projects, including panel design, maximum heights, and other related items.

Hoover said once the company presents the properties where it plans to build the project to county officials, letters will be sent to neighbors whose properties come within 660 feet of the proposed project site, allowing them an opportunity to comment on the project.

The GEG Midwest Mammoth Solar project will include acreage in both Pulaski and Starke counties. Local officials have been told that in Pulaski County the land may total as much as 4,500 acres (the total area of Pulaski County is 278,000 acres). Origer said the (non-continuous) solar panel acreage will roughly follow the large electric transmission lines that cross the county, beginning along SR 39 in Beaver Township and running slightly northeast through Jefferson and Rich Grove townships (and possibly some of Franklin) into Starke County.

Unlike the windmill electric project which the county rejected a couple of years ago - proposed to be built on some of the county’s prime agriculture ground - the solar project will largely cross the county’s sandy, less productive soils. Jefferson and Beaver are also the county’s least populated townships. Hoover reports the electrical panels will not be much taller than a mature cornfield.

Electricity produced by the solar panels will connect to the transmission power lines. Thus, Origer notes, there are only a few places to locate such a project for access to the grid. He also noted the power produced may not necessarily be purchased by NIPSCO, the area utility. It may be purchased by a regional power provider. Origer said there are multiple players in the distribution market.

The lead agent for the project in Pulaski County has been Nick Cohen, president, CEO and co-founder of GEG.

County landowners have been approached for leasing acreage for the project, and many have reportedly signed preliminary contracts. Hoover explained exact acres have not been finally determined and will be adjusted when engineers begin the project design.

The county commissioners have no jurisdiction regarding approval of the solar energy project.  This falls under the control of the county plan commission, headed by Doug Hoover. The county zoning plan makes provision for solar energy enterprises.Hoover also added project completion could be three years away, as GEG moves through the preliminary steps of environmental studies, meeting local government requirements and other regulatory steps and developing the engineering design plan.

Opposition to the solar project has begun to surface, particularly on social media. Concerns expressed include possible effects on nearby property values, the impact of removing farm ground from agriculture production, the aesthetic impact of the solar panels, and other issues. Origer confirms he has had at least one visitor to his office to express opposition to the project.

According to its website, Global Energy Generation LLC is owned by Doral Group Renewable Energy Resources Ltd. and Clean Air Generation LLC. The Doral Group operates hundreds of renewables facilities globally. Clean Air Generation LLC is a developer of utility scale energy projects whose management team has over 50 years of energy project development experience in the U.S.