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The planned Taro Solar public hearing has been put on hold. But that doesn’t mean the Charlotte County Planning Commission won’t have a solar hearing next week. Instead of Taro Solar, the commission will be considering a request from County Line Solar, a project that had been placed on the back burner a few months ago. 

CPV County Line Solar was one of several solar projects that would be affected by the upcoming transmission line decision. In December 2024, this region’s electricity transmission authority, PJM, released a report stating that Dominion Energy would need to change its plans in Charlotte County. Specifically, the report stated too many solar projects were planning to feed into one 115 KV transmission line. A kilovolt (kv) is one unit of electrical potential energy. Those projects, PJM officials wrote, would need to be placed on hold while a larger 230 KV transmission line is built. Now it turns out that a larger line may not be needed. 

Each grouping of states has what’s known as a regional transmission organization. They review construction plans, they study to make sure the infrastructure is in place to handle the energy being generated and that a developer isn’t trying to build something larger than possible. And then, if necessary, they hold up or order construction suspended, give requirements to companies, to make sure everything works. For Virginia and 12 other states in the Atlantic region, that group is PJM.

Instead of being placed on hold, several projects had their applications withdrawn completely. In other words, they were no longer applying to use this 115 KV transmission line, deciding to look at other options. Despite being on the verge of flipping the switch and generating power, with Dominion having placed it in the queue, County Line Solar was one of these pulled out. Now the project is back before the planning commission with an amended version. 

The proposed amendment 

County Line Solar already has a conditional use permit in place. However, when the project was removed from the transmission line list, it lost its grandfathered status and now will have to meet new state Department of Environmental Quality stormwater standards. In order to both do that and keep the same amount of megawatts as originally planned, the project needs more land. And that’s where the requested amendment comes in. 

Dominion wants to get the permit amended, with more land and more panels included. Land currently owned by Blue Rock Resources, a 91-acre parcel, would be purchased and the request is for it to be added to the conditional use permit. This land is located on Route 47 in Charlotte Court House, roughly 450 feet north of the intersection of Route 47 and Route 665. It’s across from Corner Deli. 

As part of this hearing, residents will have a chance to weigh on or you can do so through written or emailed comments. You can write and mail something to the Charlotte County Administration Office, at P.O. Box 608, Charlotte Court House VA 23923 or email it to publiccomments@charlottecountyva.gov.

Now if you want to go and take part in person, the hearing will be on Thursday, July 24, starting at 7 p.m. That’ll take place in the Charlotte County Administration Office boardroom. The office is at 250 LeGrande Avenue, Suite A, also in Charlotte Court House.