Mason County solar farm project faces opposition from some neighbors, fellow farmers - WCHS

Mason County solar farm project faces opposition from some neighbors, fellow farmers | WCHS

MASON COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Tyr Energy Development (TED) Renewables, a Kansas-based energy company, was just recently given the green light by the West Virginia Public Service Commission to put 226,356 solar panels on more than 300 acres of Mason County farmland.

However, the project is getting stops signs from some members of the community as "Stop Solar Farms" posters can be found in yards throughout the project area near Letart.

Jason Knight, who owns 52 acres near where the solar farm could go in, is one of several with concerns about how this will alter the land.

“It’s going to be forever changed. Forever changed," Knight said.

Knight said he worries about what this will do to the visual makeup of the rural community, the wildlife and the farmable ground it is set to go on.

“This is prime farm ground. I’m not opposed to solar. I just don’t think you should do it on farm ground," he said. "We’ve got mountain top removal sites. We’ve got landfill sites. We’ve got the Philip Sporn site. There’s so many places where the land has already been degraded where we could this. Prime farm ground is not the place. It’s not the place," Knight said.

Others farmers like Jonathan Hoffman feel the same.

“I’m not real thrilled about this. I grew up here. I hate to see it destroyed like this," Hoffman said.

TED Renewables, using the name New Haven PV I in its application, worked out lease agreements with farms in the area to secure 1,555 acres of farm land.

Of that acreage, TED Renewables Manager Elias Toshiro said the company will select about 300 to place the solar panels on. Toshiro said what they do with the rest will be worked out among the landowners.

“We were lucky to be able to work with partnering land owners that really saw benefit in using part of their land for hosting this project and some of the benefits were, for them, really diversifying their revenue source and stabilizing their revenue stream on top of of really protecting and preserving their farmland for future generations," he said.

According to the project notes, it is projected the construction will create 300 statewide construction jobs and generate more than $10 million of local earnings for the county and almost $20 million for the state with the company's $97 million investment. Toshiro said once the project is up and running, it will not require many workers at all, but that the energy generated could attract more job- creating companies.

Toshiro said the company is hopeful to have the 100-megawatt solar facility up and running by 2026. Once that happens, he said the panels will have a life of about 30 to 35 years. Toshiro said the land will be given back once it is finished as he said it will return back in better shape than the way it was found.

According to the PSC, the power generated will go to the regional network of the Appalachian Power Company. Toshiro said the power could be purchased by local factories or some of the new businesses coming to the county, like Nucor, or AEP.

“I strongly believe this can continue West Virginia’s proud tradition of powering America," Toshiro said.

Those who live nearby worry about what it will do to the area’s tradition of farming. Though the company states that the land will be the same or even better when it is returned back, some farmers in the area are not convinced.

The solar farm project, through the PSC, received 52 letters of protest from the community and 15 letters of support. The letters in protest shared concerns about how this will change the way of life and the look of the rural landscape they have always known.

The evidentiary hearing for this case was canceled by the PSC as TED Renewables attorneys and the PSC came to an agreement that an evidentiary hearing was not needed because there were "no outstanding issues in the case" and all needed documentation had been provided.

When asked about some of the concerns the community had, Toshiro said, though visible, the area where they will put the panels will be tucked back from main roads. He said this will be a "low impact" project because it does not require new roads to be built or any infrastructure changes. He said the biggest impact will be the change in appearance.

Knight said, for him, it is not about being anti-solar or green energy. He said he is just against solar facilities on land that has the ability to feed people.

"You’ve got neighbors that don’t have a lot of land that are going to be completely encroached upon. Their viewshed - their entire way of life is going to be forever changed," Knight said.

TED Renewables still has to work with the county, state and AEP to get the permits and approval. According to Toshiro, the company has started thinking about which local construction companies and engineers to work. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.