Open House scheduled for next week on Cold Spring Solar Farm project

Putnam County residents are invited to an open house Tuesday, March 26, surrounding a proposed solar farm in Putnam County. 

Officials with Arevon Energy will be on hand at Greencastle City Hall, 1 North Locust St., on March 26 to discuss a proposed 200-megawatt, 1,200-acre solar farm on private land in Russell Township from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. 

The open house comes after a decision on the proposed solar farm has been delayed and days before the Putnam County Commissioners are set to take up the matter on April 1. On April 1, the Putnam County Commissioners are expected to vote on rezoning the land from Rural Preservation to Natural Resources. The vote will play a key factor in whether or not the solar farm will move forward. 

Since 2022, talk of the solar farm has flourished in Putnam County, and recently, the proposal has not fared well with the Putnam County Board of Zoning Appeals and the Putnam County Plan Commission. 

Last year, the BZA voted against a special exception to the property, and in February, the Putnam County Area Plan Commission denied an application for rezoning with a 6-3 vote. 

Those actions prompted officials with Cold Spring Solar to ask the Putnam County Commissioners to table a decision on rezoning until April 1. 

"Arevon and Cold Spring Solar are committed to working in partnership with county leaders and the community. We are confident that our project will benefit all residents of Putnam County and look forward to providing additional information on solar technology and our project. Cold Spring is grateful to the Board for their understanding and consideration," Cold Spring spokesman Nic Gentry told The Putnam County Post shortly after the denial from the Area Plan Commission. 

The proposed solar farm has received a tax abatement from the county council, and a $6 million economic development agreement with the commissioners, while officials have said Cold Spring Solar Farm would bring in more than $40 million paid in taxes and 214 direct jobs. 

Jeffrey Lee, director of community relations for Arevon Energy, said landowners in Putnam County chose to lease land to host the project and it has been designed to meet the stringent requirements of Putnam County's solar ordinance. 

"The Cold Spring Solar project would occupy less than one percent of the agricultural land in Putnam County, while creating more than 300 construction jobs and delivering an impressive $6.3 million in economic development payments to the county. Over the course of the project's lifetime, Cold Spring Solar will contribute approximately $75 million in tax revenue to the community. We believe that landowners have the right to use their private property as they see fit, and that the local government should not infringe on those rights," he said.

Lee added Cold Spring has been "actively engaged" with the community since the beginning of the development process. 

"Our dedication to transparency and open dialogue is evident in the establishment of a local office, support for community events and hosting an informational open house. The Cold Spring Solar team addressed questions from the public and provided detailed studies and technical information to demonstrate that Cold Spring Solar would be safe, reliable and a good neighbor to the community," Lee said.