Solar hearing set for Thursday
Solar hearing set for Thursday
Published 8:55 am Thursday, December 4, 2025
A public hearing for the Laurel Branch solar project set for Thursday evening could shed some light on a large-scale solar energy facility proposed by Dominion Energy Virginia.
The Dec. 4 hearing with the Lunenburg County Planning Commission begins at 7 p.m. in the second floor courtroom of the Lunenburg Courts Building.
The proposal is for a conditional use permit for a solar energy facility and a permanent utility-owned switchyard by Virginia Electric and Power Co. doing business as Dominion Energy Virginia. The project had stalled earlier this year when negotiations between Dominion and the county had reached an impasse, but returned after the two sides reached a compromise.
The next step following the public hearing by the Lunenburg County Planning Commission on Thursday is another public hearing, this time by the Board of Supervisors in either January or February, said County Administrator Tracy Gee.
The proposed facility could generate up to 80 megawatts of power to the electric grid.
If approved, the project would be located southwest of the Town of Kenbridge, primarily between Plank Road and Sneads Store Road and along Oral Oaks Road, Earnest Greene with State and Local Affairs for Virginia Dominion Energy wrote in a 2022 letter to landowners near the proposed site.
He said the project site is used for timbering and agriculture, and two existing transmission lines run through the property.
As proposed, there will be substantial setbacks and extensive screening to minimize any visibility of the project from adjacent properties and public roadways, he said.
The project would power up to 20,000 homes at peak output and had originally been discussed to start construction around spring 2026; however, Dominion’s website lists a start date of spring 2027 with plans to be online set for 2029.
In its application for the conditional use permit, submitted in 2022, Dominion officials said the Laurel Branch project would support “a clean and sustainable energy future in Virginia” as well as other benefits such as the use of state — and locally-based suppliers and labor, the creation of clean energy jobs and additional local tax revenues.
The proposed project will provide “safe, reliable, and cost-effective renewable energy to the transmission grid, diversifying the region’s electrical generation,” Dominion officials wrote in the application.
Residents can review the full text of the application at the County Administration Office at 11413 Courthouse Road in Lunenburg or on the Lunenburg County website at www.lunenburgva.gov. Look for “Pending Ordinances and Conditional Use Permit Applications” under the Planning Commission Tab for the 300-plus page document.
In the application, Dominion officials said the development of the proposed facility will include clearing and minimal grading, construction of access roads, implementation of a security fence, and installation of solar arrays, a switchyard, and a substation.
On its website, Dominion Energy touts its operations and development of enough solar to power more than 750,000 homes with plans over the next 15 years to raise that to more than 4 million Virginia homes at peak output