Ohio Power Siting Board to listen to testimony Monday on controversial Stark Solar project

WASHINGTON TWP. − A public hearing to help decide the fate of the proposed Stark Solar project will be held 5 p.m. Monday at Marlington High School.

Individuals who wish to speak at the hearing will be given three minutes each. The transcript will be submitted to the case record for consideration by the Ohio Power Siting Board .

Matthew Butler, a spokesperson for the Siting Board, said all public comments will be considered by the board.

"The board will take into account all written public comments, testimony from the local hearing, and resolutions and letters from local governments prior to making its decision," he said in an email.

After the hearing, the case will go to Columbus for an evidentiary hearing.

Marlington High School is located at 10450 Moulin Ave.

What is the Stark Solar project?

Stark Solar, a subsidiary of South Korea-based Samsung C&T Renewables, is seeking to construct a 150-megawatt solar farm in southwest Washington Township north of Louisville Street NE, northwest of Beechwood Avenue NE, west of Hartzell Avenue NE and north and south of Canfield Street NE.

The company submitted its application to the Siting Board in February.

The project has had significant pushback from local governments and some community members.

Washington Township trustees and Stark County commissioners have voted to oppose the solar project. Residents who live nearby the proposed solar farm have submitted public comments against it and formed the opposition group Solar Free Stark .

Local unions, on the other hand, have spoken in support of the project.

At a county commissioners meeting in June, David Russell Jr., an organizer for the Ohio Operating Engineers Trade Union , said the project would bring jobs to the community. Erik Hann, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 540 , has also spoken in support of the project.

According to Stark Solar , if completed, the solar facility would generate $57 million in tax revenue for local services in Stark County, with $35 million going to Marlington Local Schools.

Stark Solar's project application estimates construction of the facility could add 381 temporary full-time equivalent jobs statewide, and operation and maintenance of the facility could add 11.5 full-time equivalent jobs statewide annually.

What is required for approval?

Solar projects must meet a list of eight criteria to be approved, according to Ohio law.

A report of investigation conducted by Ohio Power Siting Board staff in coordination with other state agencies concluded that Stark Solar met seven criteria but did not adequately show that "the facility would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity as required."

The report says opposition in this case has been "especially prominent" and a reason to deny Stark Solar's application to construct the solar facility.

The staff report is just one piece of the ongoing case, and the Siting Board could still grant Stark Solar's certificate.

There are seven permanent members of the Siting Board, including Chair of Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Jenifer French and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz. In the Stark Solar case, Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton and Washington Township fiscal officer Jimmy Jones are ad hoc Siting Board members.

More: New state report recommends denial for proposed Stark Solar farm near Alliance

What's next for the case?

Following the public hearing Monday, parties in the case can submit evidence and expert testimony to be considered at an evidentiary hearing at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio office in Columbus. That hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 17.

Parties will have a chance to submit briefs and reply briefs as final arguments following the evidentiary hearing.

Finally, the Siting Board will make its decision to approve the application, deny it or approve it with conditions.

Appeals could follow, starting with a rehearing by the Siting Board, and eventually an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.

If its application is approved, Stark Solar is expected to start construction in 2026 and begin operations in 2027.

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio Power Siting Board to listen to testimony Monday on controversial Stark Solar project