Berkeley County panel advances plan to lift Cross moratorium for 1,500-acre solar farm

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Boos and pleas for county leaders to protect a rural community filled a public hearing in Berkeley County as residents in Cross pushed back against a proposed 1,500-acre solar farm and the decision to advance a request to lift a large-scale development moratorium.

The Berkeley County Land Use Committee passed a motion to lift a large-scale development moratorium covering nearly 7,500 acres in the Cross community. The action moves forward a proposal tied to the Sandy Run Solar Project, which would require rezoning 1,500 acres to industrial planned development for a 198-megawatt solar farm that could power more than 37,000 homes.

Residents told county leaders they do not want the moratorium lifted, citing concerns about the impact of the solar farm on their rural community and worries that other industrial projects could follow.

Robert Barrett, a Cross resident, said, “I’m upset right now with them because they could have nipped this in the bud tonight and made a lot of people happy.”

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Barrett also objected to the type of development he believes the project could bring to the area. “Cross is not an industrial community. It’s a retirement and recreational community. It’s not an industrial community,” he said. “We don’t want that big industry in there.”

RWE Clean Energy, the solar company behind the project, said impacts to the community would be minimal. Peter Stalter, lead developer for the Sandy Run Solar Project, said, “One of the big things about this is that it is in a very remote part of Cross. And so we are a mile, at least, from the nearest public right-of-way.”

During the hearing, residents raised broader concerns about environmental impacts and what they see as a precedent for future development. One speaker urged county leaders, “Please be good stewards of our land.” Another asked, “Who’s going to guarantee we’re going to have clean water.”

Some residents also voiced concern about AI data centers potentially following solar development. Residents pointed out that nearly 6% of RWE shares is held by BlackRock, described during the meeting as a data center developer. One speaker warned, “Today it’s a solar farm – tomorrow it’s a data center.”

READ MORE | Three SC Senate bills target data center growth, water use and neighborhood protections

A county spokesperson clarified that while the moratorium covers more than 7,500 acres, any future rezoning request by RWE would apply only to the 1,500 acres needed for the solar farm. The spokesperson said that if any other projects sought to use the rest of the land, each entity would have to go through the same approval process.

Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb, who was unable to vote on committee matters, voiced opposition. “I’m against solar farms and large-scale solar farms in this county because of the reality of our county,” Cribb said. He added, “We’ve busted our tail over the last couple of years to protect 3,000 total acres in the entire county. And I’m really proud of that. And what we’re talking about tonight, it doesn’t begin and end with this project.”

District 5 Councilmember Amy Stern explained her position by pointing to growing energy demand and said Santee Cooper asked solar companies to explore bringing large-scale projects to Berkeley County. “To my knowledge, this program has come to us because Santee Cooper flat out has said they need more power. They’re not going to have enough power by 2029,” Stern said. “They’re going to take more than one project, and they plan on doing that. So, we just need to also be aware that they are saying that they’re going to run out of power.”

District 3 Councilmember Phillip Obie II recused himself from voting. The councilmember representing Cross, District 7 Councilmember Caldwell Pinckney Jr., was the only vote against the measure. “We’re here to serve the people. And I think that we would be doing the citizens of Berkeley County, me included, an injustice if we would allow this company to come into our community,” Pinckney said.

The matter will now go before the full Berkeley County Council at its next meeting in two weeks. If approved, RWE would still need county approval to rezone the 1,500 acres for the solar farm.

RWE plans to hold more open houses to keep the community informed. A construction timeline depends on a partnership with Santee Cooper, but construction could likely begin between 2027 and 2028.