Lightsource BP has withdrawn its request appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court on the approval of the planned Birch Solar project. The 300 MW solar facility was opposed by county residents, preventing regulatory approval of the facility.
The solar developer said in a filing that it “has chosen to suspend further development of the solar facility in question.”
Ohio state law has done so eight criteria for approving electricity generation, including environmental impact studies, water conservation, agricultural impact studies, and whether the project serves the “economy and reliability” of the electric system, as well as the “public interest, convenience and necessity.”
After intense public opposition in the Republican county, regulators halted Lightsource bp’s project, saying it was not in the “public interest.”
The solar developer argued that the Ohio Power Siting Board’s view of “public interest” was too narrow and placed too much weight on local opposition, while failing to consider the project’s broader economic and service reliability benefits.
Lightsource bp claimed that the local government and the public had comments “a determining part” of assessing the project’s ability to meet the stated requirements “public interest” requirement. It said this interpretation violated Ohio state law by delegating the Ohio Power Siting Board’s statutory authority to local governments.
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