A large solar project can begin construction after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in the project's favor.
The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the Ohio Power Siting Board鈥檚 2022 decision to grant Harvey Solar Project a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need. A citizens group called Save Hartford Township and 11 residents appealed the project鈥檚 approval, leaving it in limbo as the state鈥檚 highest court deliberated.
Harvey Solar is a 350 megawatt project slated for some 2,600 acres of private property in Bennington and Hartford Townships in Licking County.
The project鈥檚 developer, Texas-based Open Road Renewables, reports it will be able to power around 350,000 homes. Open Road also expects the project to bring in $3.15 million in annual property taxes and to create around 300 local construction jobs.
Save Hartford Township in its appeal argued that Harvey Solar didn鈥檛 evaluate the 鈥渆conomic disadvantage鈥� of solar and didn鈥檛 conduct a proper study on possible night noise generated by the project, among other allegations. Ultimately, environmental lawyer Jack Van Kley didn鈥檛 convince judges that the OPSB, which approves energy projects in Ohio, made a mistake in allowing Harvey Solar to move forward.
Justices R. Patrick DeWine, Patrick F. Fisher, Jennifer Brunner, Joseph T. Deters, Daniel R. Hawkins and Megan E. Shanahan ruled that the residents opposing the facility failed to prove the board acted unlawfully or unreasonably. Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy concurred in judgement only, saying the opponents of the project failed to show sufficient evidence.
鈥淲ith the Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling, we will begin moving forward to construction. Not only will the local community benefit from the project, but it will generate clean, affordable, homegrown energy to help meet Ohio鈥檚 growing demand for power,鈥� said Samantha Sawmiller, director of development for Open Road Renewables, in a statement.
The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to build.
