Highland County Solar Farm Approved, Jackson County Project Hearing Slated

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(Columbus) – The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has approved an application filed by Dodson Creek Solar, LLC to construct a solar‑powered electric generating facility in Highland County.

The 117 megawatt (MW) Dodson Creek Solar facility will occupy 1,103 acres within a 1,429-acre project area in Dodson and Hamer townships in Highland County. The facility will consist of arrays of photovoltaic modules, commonly referred to as solar panels, as well as associated facilities including access roads, an operations and maintenance facility, electric collection lines, a substation and transmission line, and weather stations. To alleviate aesthetic concerns regarding project perimeter fencing, the OPSB will require Dodson Creek Solar to utilize fencing free of chain link and barbed wire that is both small-wildlife permeable and aesthetically fitting for the rural setting of the project.

The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) will hold a local public hearing regarding Dixon Run Solar, LLC’s proposal to construct a 140 megawatt solar‑powered electric generation facility in Bloomfield Township in Jackson County.

The hearing is scheduled for November 29, 2022, at 5pm inside the Jackson Middle School Auditorium, located at 21 Tropic Street in  Jackson.

The purpose of the local public hearing is to allow individuals to provide sworn testimony regarding the proposed facility. Testimony will be limited to five minutes per witness, and the hearing transcript will become part of the case record considered by the OPSB.

Witnesses will register when they arrive at the hearing and will testify in the order in which they register. If a witness wishes to supplement their testimony with an exhibit, a copy of the document should be provided to the administrative law judge during the hearing.

The evidentiary hearing has been scheduled for December 14, 2022 at 10am, at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus. During the evidentiary hearing, the applicant, OPSB staff, and intervening parties provide expert testimony and evidence regarding the facility and cross-examine each other.

The proposed Dixon Run Solar Project would consist of solar panel arrays and associated facilities located within a 2,085-acre project area. The project would include electrical collection lines, inverters, access roads, perimeter fencing, and a substation.

Additional information regarding the proposed solar facility is available on the OPSB website at www.OPSB.ohio.gov in case number 21-0768-EL-BGN.