Darlington County considers 9 month moratorium on new solar and wind projects

DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Darlington County Council is considering a nine-month moratorium on the acceptance, review and approval of applications related to new solar energy systems and wind farms in Darlington County.

Ordinance No. 26-05 received first reading and would temporarily halt county actions that would authorize or permit the development of new renewable energy projects.

County officials said the moratorium is intended to give the County Council and the Darlington County Planning Commission time to review and update development regulations related to the rapidly evolving renewable energy industry.

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Under the proposed ordinance, the Planning Commission would conduct a comprehensive review of Article 19 of the Darlington Development Standards Ordinance, which governs renewable energy systems, and provide recommendations to County Council.

The review may address issues including the size and density of renewable energy developments, setbacks and buffering requirements, decommissioning plans, financial assurances and environmental protections.

If approved, the moratorium would apply to applications for development permits, site plan approvals and other official county actions involving new solar energy systems and wind farms covered under Article 19. The ordinance is intended to prevent approvals that could conflict with future amendments to the county’s development regulations while the review process is underway.

ABC 15 will let you know if the county council members approve the moratorium.