A New England energy developer is looking to build a solar farm in Columbia County.
Bijan Solar, a subsidiary of CTEC Solar LLC based in Bloomfield, Conn., has petitioned to rezone two tracts along Columbia Road, totaling some 39 acres, from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Special (S-1).
There it plans to develop a power generation facility interconnected with Georgia Power distribution lines, selling the power under a 35-year purchase agreement.
A site plan included with the application displays the proposed photovoltaic (PV) system, which converts sunlight to electrical energy, comprised of long rows of solar panels across what is currently wooded, undeveloped land, surrounded by a seven-foot-high chain link fence. The plan also shows a 20-foot wide access road along a portion of the property from an access gate connected to Columbia Road.
The subject tracts sit across Columbia Road from Patriots Park, and are neighbored by portions of the Patriots Ridge and High Meadows subdivisions to its south and southwest respectively, separated by natural buffers.
CTEC owner Mickey Toro, in the rezoning application’s accompanying letter of intent, notes that the project concords with Georgia Power’s integrated resource plan, which aims to accommodate the state’s growing energy needs.
According to a report Georgia Power released early this year, it projects about 8,200 megawatts of electrical load growth throughout the state by the end of 2030. CTEC selected the Augusta area because of its “strong hosting capacity,” determined by Georgia Power as one of “the most suitable regions for solar development,” the letter of intent stated.
Should the rezoning be approved, the letter goes on, CTEC would begin clearing the land in September to make way for the four-month construction of the solar farm that would start in February of next year. It says it has already conducted environmental, habitat and wetland delineation assessments and are waiting to receive a nationwide permit for wetland crossing from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the rezoning request during its meeting on June 5.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
