Abatement OK'd

Solar energy is on its way to Jay County.

Jay County Council approved a final tax abatement and economic development agreement with sustainable energy company Invenergy for its proposed Skycrest Solar facility.

The economic development agreement will go to Jay County Commissioners on Monday. They chose to hold off signing on the document until after hearings this week. (They have already OK’d decommissioning and road use agreements in relation to the project.)

If approved, about $1.75 million in economic development payments will be made to the county over the course of four years. This will be the largest of those received by the county from renewable energy projects.

Jay County Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. today to discuss the project to determine whether it meets all of the requirements in the county’s ordinance.

Invenergy, a global firm with headquarters in Chicago, is planning a $150 million, 155-megawatt facility located on about 2,500 acres in Penn and Jackson Townships. Construction is expected to be completed by 2024.

Invenergy analyst Tom Schoder and attorney Mary Solada spoke about the proposed facility to the group of Jackson and Penn Township residents gathered in the courthouse auditorium.

Skycrest Solar Energy Center will use photovoltaic technology — silicon cells converting sunlight into electricity. The panels are designed to withstand 140 mph winds and large hail. They are also quiet, Schoder said, and do not give off light after dark.

The abatement will save Invenergy about $5.8 million in property taxes over the course of 10 years. The facility is expected to increase the county’s overall assessed value by about $55 million, thereby reducing overall tax rates.

An estimated $40 million in payments will be made to participating landowners. Skycrest Solar will also hire two full-time employees for operation and maintenance with average salaries of $52,000.

There was no public comment on the proposed tax abatement and economic development agreement. Council unanimously approved both.

The $1.75 million economic development agreement is the largest for a renewable energy project in the county thus far. NextEra Energy Resources’s economic development agreement with the county totaled nearly $1 million for Bluff Point Wind Energy Center, which was built in 2017. Scout Clean Energy’s agreement for Bitter Ridge Wind Farm, which was completed last year, was for $1.56 million.

Funds from the Bluff Point project were used as matching dollars for Community Crossings grants for street and road paving projects and to fund various community needs and projects. Bitter Ridge economic development monies have been set aside for pursuing the state’s Stellar Communities designation –– The Jay! Region was a finalist for the designation in 2019, receiving about $333,000 to expand Penn Township Library.