Hirschler Helps Clear the Way for the Largest Solar Facility East of the Mississippi

04.15.2019

Congratulations to Hirschler partner Charlie Payne and client Sustainable Power (sPower) who overcame significant opposition to move forward on what will be the fifth largest solar facility in the United States – and the largest facility east of the Mississippi.

The $615 million project includes installation of 1.8 million solar panels on 6,300-acre property in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  Local government officials held several public hearings to discuss the proposal at which community members voiced concerns about the project’s impact on, among other things, the ecosystem and property values.

In the end, the benefits of the project helped convinced the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors to greenlight three special use permits allowing construction to move forward.  Electricity from the project will be sold wholesale to Microsoft, Apple and other large enterprises across the state. Microsoft’s purchase of 350 megawatts from the future facility will be the largest commercial acquisition of renewable energy in the United States.

To read more about the project, click here. To read more about this hard-won victory for sPower, click here.