COLUMBUS, Ohio (Nov. 7, 2024) — The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has announced a local public hearing for a proposed 220-megawatt solar-powered electric generation facility in Fairfield County. The proposed facility, submitted by Eastern Cottontail Solar, LLC, would be located in Walnut Township and would consist of a large array of photovoltaic panels, electrical infrastructure, and other supporting facilities.
The public hearing will take place on January 27, 2025, at 5 p.m. at Pleasantville Elementary School, located at 300 West Columbus Street, Pleasantville, Ohio 43148. This hearing offers residents and stakeholders an opportunity to provide sworn testimony regarding the proposed project.
The facility is proposed to span 1,550 acres and will include photovoltaic panel arrays, electrical collection lines, inverters, transformers, access roads, and a substation, as well as an operation and maintenance building. Temporary construction laydown yards are also part of the project plan.
At the hearing, members of the public will be able to provide testimony on the proposed transmission line, which will be included in the case record considered by the OPSB. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes of testimony. Those wishing to submit exhibits along with their testimony must provide a copy of the documents to the administrative law judge during the hearing.
In addition to the local public hearing, an evidentiary hearing is scheduled for March 4, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Hearing Room 11-A, located at 180 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215. During this session, the applicant, OPSB staff, and intervening parties will present expert testimony and evidence related to the proposed transmission line.
For more information on the proposed solar facility and to review the case record, visit the OPSB website at www.OPSB.ohio.gov and refer to case number 24-0495-EL-BGN.
