State Board Approves Hancock County Solar Projects

The Ohio Power Siting Board has given the go-ahead for two solar projects planned for Hancock County.

The board issued a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility to South Branch Solar and Border Basin for the construction, operation and maintenance of their solar-powered electric generation facilities in Hancock County. Video of the meeting is below.

The South Branch Solar website shows that the project will be located on about 700 acres north of Arcadia.

The Border Basin website says their project will be located near Cass Township on about 1,000 acres spanning both the Arcadia and Van Buren school districts.

Dan Sheaffer is Director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development.

In April of 2022, The Hancock County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve a resolution enacting exclusion zones in most unincorporated areas of the county to prohibit wind and solar projects.

At a public hearing, several people spoke out against proposed solar projects, citing concerns about the negative impact on property values and the environment.

Tim Mayle, then Director of Findlay – Hancock County Economic Development, addressed the commissioners saying banning wind and solar projects outright would hurt the county’s economic growth.

And he pointed out that a law passed in 2021 that already gives county commissioners in Ohio more oversight when it comes to approving wind and solar projects on a case-by-case basis.

The two solar projects planned for the Arcadia area are not subject to the exclusion zone resolution because the projects were proposed before the new law giving commissioners more oversight took effect.