Quarter Horse Solar goes for hearing. Dominion proposes changes

In August 2019, Apex Clean Energy Holdings got a conditional use permit (CUP) from Charlotte County for their Quarter Horse Solar project, then called Moody Creek. Since then, Dominion Energy has taken over the project and wants to make some changes to the CUP, scaling back things and making a few design changes. Before that can happen, a public hearing will be held later this week and then the planning commission will have a chance to weigh in and make a decision.

But first, let’s give some background on the project itself. This one’s been in the works since 2018, which is when the original owner, Apex Clean Energy Holdings LLC, filed the application for Moody Creek Solar. The property sits near Crafton’s Gate Highway, adjacent to Charlotte County’s line with Mecklenburg. It’s roughly 2.3 miles southeast of the intersection of State Route 47 and State Route 360. Apex ended up terminating its lease agreement with the property owner back in June 2023.

That’s when Dominion entered the picture, setting up its own option agreement and applying for a permit for what became Quarter Horse Solar. Now things have changed a bit from the time of the original application. For example, back then, siting agreements were not allowed by the Virginia State Code. That’s a new tool established in recent years where cities, towns and counties negotiate with developers about what compensation for allowing their solar project will look like.

Dominion’s proposed changes

And as a result of both changing laws and changing owners, Dominion wants to alter the original agreement. For example, the original proposal by Apex called for a massive 150 megawatt solar farm. We say massive because in 2024, it would be one of the largest approved in the state. The closest in this region would be Mountain Pine Solar, an 80-megawatt project signed off on by Buckingham supervisors back in February. The largest current solar project in the state is a 175-megawatt facility, just east of Richmond.

As part of the revised application, Dominion wants to reduce this one in Charlotte County to a 125-megawatt project. One megawatt is equivalent to 1 million watts, so a 125-megawatt project would have the capacity to generate or transmit roughly 125 million watts of power when developed.

This would also be one of the largest in size as well. That Buckingham project we referred to came in at 1,065 acres. The leased property for Quarter Horse comes to an estimated 1,678 acres, with 1,662 in Charlotte County. The other 16 acres are in Mecklenburg County and are excluded from the project. All total, Dominion only expects to use an estimated 222 acres for solar panels.

Also changing as part of the revised plan are the number of solar panels to be installed. Dominion wants to put the maximum number at 291,384. That’s down from 554,250 in the original Moody Creek plans.

Quarter Horse Solar schedule shifts

There were some environmental changes done as well in Dominion’s new filing. One of the issues raised by residents in the original application was the smaller buffer with neighboring properties. Dominion’s plan increases setbacks and buffers to meet Charlotte County’s current development standards. This would include a 75-foot setback to neighboring properties. Also, the closest distance to the highway now exceeds 1,800 feet.

There are three cemeteries on the property as well. Dominion plans to put a 100-foot buffer around each of them, keeping all construction and work away.

Also changing as part of the revised application is the project schedule. This smaller facility would take an estimated 18 months to build. If it gets approval during the meeting later this week, Quarter Horse would start construction in 2027.

What happens next?

As we mentioned, there will be a public hearing on Quarter Horse Solar this Thursday, July 18. That’ll start at 7 p.m. as part of a joint meeting between the planning commission and board of supervisors. After the joint public hearing is held, then the planning commission will have time to discuss and take a vote on the project. Based on that vote, the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors could then discuss and take a vote on their own on amending the conditional use permit at a meeting in August or September.

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