Breathitt Solar Farm One Step Closer

The Siting Board for the Kentucky Public Service Commission held a public hearing on June 28 to gather more information on a proposed solar farm in the southeastern section of Breathitt County.

Commissioners Mary Pat Ragan, Jensen Hammock, and Zachary Weinburg listened to testimony and questioned witnesses in support of the proposed project for over 40 minutes.  The Commission made no ruling but is expected to issue its report before the August 1st deadline.  

The project, started in 2024 as a joint effort with STMO of Florida and Starfire, LLC., would construct a “210 megawatt alternating current merchant electric solar generating facility” on the site of the old Starfire Mines on the Breathitt, Perry, and Knott County lines.  The site would generate annually enough electricity to power 35,000 homes.

If approved, the site would house “solar panels, racking, inverters, transformers, one substation transformer, and associated collection lines.”

Notices about the public hearing were published in the local papers on May 28, inviting public attendance or comment.

A large portion of the project would be located in Breathitt County near the head of Long Fork of Little Buckhorn and would be operated by Starfire, LLC.

The major issue discussed at the hearing was the number of local jobs that would be created by the solar plant.

Matthew Benedict, a representative of a Perry County community organization, discussed the need for local hires and compared the Starfire project to a solar farm recently opened in Martin County.  Benedict noted that the Martin County project only hired about eleven percent of its workforce locally.  The Starfire plan calls for about 44% of its staff to be hired locally.

David Gil, Vice President and Lead Developer for BrightNight, a partner of Starfire in the project, told Commissioners that the plan was to hire 496 workers during the construction, and they would likely employ about 85 from the counties surrounding the facility. 

“This is the largest clean energy project in the history of Eastern Kentucky to this point,” Gil told the Commission.  “We hope to hire as many local workers as we can.”

The Siting Board also questions the existing research studies that are active in the area, the natural wildlife corridors, and the native grass conservancies, which are currently located at the site.  The plan submitted to the Public Service Commission calls for a “wildlife corridor” to provide for the free movement of animals in the area. 

“We are working with the University of Kentucky to preserve study sites for trees and the other areas,” Gil said.  He discussed efforts to preserve the large elk population in the area and other natural concerns in the estimated 1,385-acre site.  He noted that approximately 25 acres of the site will be reforested, and the appropriate barriers, including approximately 27 miles of fencing, will be erected to provide a buffer for the flora and fauna of the area.

Gill and others discussed the estimated $11 million in taxes that the site will pay to local taxing agencies over the first ten years of operation.

Documents submitted to the Commission indicate that the construction of the site is expected to bring an estimated $44.6 million “pulse” to the economy and an estimated $128 million once operational. 

Following the hearing, the Commission requested additional information, which was forwarded to the board.  The Commission’s final decision about the permitting and construction of the proposed site is expected in July.  No timeline for construction has been announced.