GATE CITY – Despite a second round of public comment for and against it, a second solar farm project under Scott County’s zoning ordinance provisions got the ok Wednesday from the Board of Supervisors.
Unlike January’s unanimous board vote approving a special use permit for New Leaf Energy’s planned 4 megawatt Rye Cove solar project, the board voted 4-3 to permit Pivot Energy’s planned 8.5 megawatt operation in Nickelsville.
Wednesday’s public hearing – two separate hearings for each parcel to be used for the project – drew a mix of comments ranging from property use rights and complaints about Appalachian Power’s power rates to environmental concerns.
Pivot project manager Georgia DeCruz restated much of the company’s presentation at the county Planning Commission March meeting. Noting that Pivot’s application originally called for a 10-megawatt project – two 5-megawatt arrays on adjacent parcels – she said one of the sites’ designs was scaled back to 3.5 mW to cut back on the number of panels and reduce the site’s visual impact.
Even with the reduced generating capacity, DeCruz said the two sites together would produce enough power to supply up to 1,250 customers. Machinery and tools tax assessments on the two projects would mean approximately $835,000 in tax revenue over the project’s 40-year operational life, she added.
Pivot also would make several thousand dollars in community contributions to Nickelsville Fire and Rescue as part of the project, DeCruz added.
Site owner and livestock farmer Jeremy Harr said the projects would have minimal visual impact on the Nickelsville area, adding that he has seen similar sites in Jonesborough and Hawkins County that have little such impact. He added that the tax revenue from the project would combine with little demand for county resources while heling reduce power bills for county residents.
“This board exists for one reason, to act for the common good of all,” said Harr, “and this small project is the best example I’ve seen for Scott County to act for the common good of all.”
The sites have met U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines for no construction impact on listed species, DeCruz said, and sheep would be allowed to graze on the sites to control vegetation.
District 1 Supervisor Darrell Jeter asked DeCruz whether there would be any limits on site use once the project’s life ends and the site is decommissioned. She said the property owner could return to its original agricultural-residential zoning use.
“We’re not rezoning the property,” said DeCruz.
DeCruz said the permits for both sites are needed so Pivot can finalize an agreement with AEP to feed the project’s power back into the utility’s transmission lines and substation near Nickelsville. Virginia legislation allowed shared solar arrangements go into effect July 1, she added, and customers in the Nickelsville and surrounding area could subscribe to receive energy credits that can apply to their AEP bills.
The energy credits subscription would reduce customers’ power bills by as much as 10%, DeCruz said.
Scott County Schools Maintenance Supervisor Robert Sallee asked if the projects would act as backup power supplies in case of outages. Acting County Administrator Bill Dingus said they would not have a backup power designation, and DeCruz said battery storage is not part of the current project plan.
Harr said the projects could generate power within the Nickelsville transmission lines in case of an AEP grid outage. That capacity could mean power to run cafeteria freezers long enough at Nickelsville Elementary and Twin Springs High schools during daylight hours and keep food frozen when the sites are not generating power.
Comment against the permits came from Nickelsville Mayor Danny Dixon, who said he was not against solar power projects in general. He said he was relaying concerns from resident and the town council about any impact on the town’s groundwater if panels were to break and leach contaminants into the water supply.
“There’s no way Nickelsville or the (Scott County Public Service Authority) could handle a catastrophe.” Dixon said.
DeCruz later said the panels are a solid matrix within glass and protective coating. No lead, cadmium, liquid or gaseous material are contained in the panels, she added, and there would be no leachate from a fractured panel.
DeCruz said Pivot would commit to annual groundwater testing for the first five years of project life and every five years afterward as part of a permit approval.
Before moving to approve the first site permit, District 5 Supervisor Danny Casteel said he had seen repeatedly for several years a home with solar panels and had not seen any visible environmental effects of damage from the panels. District 2 Supervisor Michelle Glover seconded the motion, and supervisors District 4’s Michael Brickey and District 6 Chair Chris Maness joined in support. Supervisor-at-large Stephanie Addington, District 3 Supervisor Eddie Skeen and Jeter voted no.
Each supervisor repeated their yea and nay votes for the second permit.
DeCruz said later that the permits will allow Pivot and AEP to complete their shared solar agreements in the next few months. Construction could begin by the fall of 2026, she added.