BINGHAM TWP. — One of the largest renewable energy companies in the United States has followed through on its intent to submit an application to the state so a new solar farm can take over about 1,600 acres in this rural community.
The Walker Road Solar Farm LLC, an entity of RWE Americas, submitted its application for the 150-megawatt project with the Michigan Public Service Commission on May 29. About 1,340 acres are to be “disturbed as part of site facility, of which 751 acres will be fenced in,” the application says.
“The Project will consist of solar panels and inverters arranged in PV arrays along with associated facilities and infrastructure,” the online application said. “The associated facilities and infrastructure include the Project substation, switchyard, operations and maintenance building, overhead transmission line to point-of interconnection, underground electrical cables to the Project substation, perimeter fencing, temporary and permanent stormwater basins, laydown yards for construction, and access roads to each PV array and the Project substation.”
Dickinson Wright attorneys who formally submitted the application for Walker Road Solar Farm LLC could not be reached for comment but they added in the six-page application that “the Project Area was selected based on land use, interest from landowners, proximity to existing electrical grid infrastructure, and proximity to large energy load centers throughout Michigan.”
However, “we don’t want it here, that hasn’t changed,” Bingham Township Supervisor John Weber said. “We don’t want to lose our farmland to the solar project.”
Denying that the community is anti-solar, he said it’s just that community members don’t want a solar farm with solar panels to replace real farmland. Also, the township board has had no vote in the matter.
“We have no say,” he said. “That’s the big stickler.”
Weber encourages residents to reach out to their state representatives and other officials who might be able to keep the project at bay.
Both critics and supporters also can track the application and provide input along the way. By the end of July, state staffers are to determine the completeness of the Walker Road Solar Farm application.
“The Commission must issue an order approving or denying the application within one year of the complete application filing,” Michigan Public Service Commission’s site says.
Local residents flooded their township hall the evening of Jan. 21 to speak their minds about RWE’s proposal. The 150 megawatts of clean energy the project is supposed to generate is enough to power about 28,000 homes.
For more than an hour, 22 residents in a crowd of about 100 made clear their concerns about the proposed solar farm that would sit on both sides of U.S. 127, north and east of the city of St. Johns.
“You’re ruining our farm,” said Raquel Dietrich, who was building a home near the proposed site. “You’re telling me that you’re a good neighbor … I don’t believe a single lie that you said, and I think most of what you said has completely been lies.
“You’re telling me after my 5,000-square-foot home — my brand new 5,000-square foot home is being built — that my property value is not going to drop at all.”
Besides being concerned about property values, residents spoke out against the worth of the large project in a township of less than 3,000 residents known for its rural surroundings and questioned such matters as the project’s noise levels and decommissioning plans.
RWE hosted the forum as part of the pre-application process required by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Project Development Manager J. Kevin Cole said then that the company’s goal is to have the facility under construction in 2027.
“Walker Road will be virtually silent outside the fence line,” Cole said. “The project will be monitored nonstop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from a remote operations center and local field staff will be on site.”
With decommissioning, he said RWE would remove all the equipment and restore the land. The company would be required to post financial assurance, like a bond or letter of credit, equal to the approved decommissioning cost.
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Renewable energy company submits application to build solar farm near St. Johns
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
