Developer: 80-MW Sumac Solar project proceeding; seeks county letter confirming vesting

Representatives for Sumac Solar told the Bertie County Board of Commissioners that the 80-megawatt solar farm proposed near the Morning and Water Road intersection has completed state permitting steps and has received utility approval, and that the developer is requesting administrative confirmation from county planning staff that the project is commonly vested.

The developers attorney, Tom Terrell, said the project has been in development about eight years and that Dominion Energy has given the project a green light. Terrell described the facility as roughly an 80-megawatt array with about 1,000 acres required to accommodate the lease area and said the project is now at the stage where the developer will start buying panels and signing construction contracts. "Were just doing a report. Were going to ask for affirmation that it is protected," Terrell said, asking the planning director for a letter recognizing common-law vesting based on the millions already spent on the project.

Commissioners and staff asked clarifying questions about taxes, timing and local benefits. Terrell said the project is fully leased across several property owners, has been approved by the North Carolina Utility Commission, and typically proceeds into a utility queue before construction; he estimated the queue and construction timeline would put equipment in the ground in the 20272028 timeframe and tax revenues beginning to flow thereafter. On tax treatment, Terrell said the sites land would be fully subject to ad valorem tax and that equipment generally receives a partial state-prescribed abatement (he described the current rule as an 80% reduction on equipment value, resulting in tax on the remaining 20%), but he noted state legislation under consideration could change equipment taxation. "There is no abatement to the ad valorem tax. It is a 100% tax paid on the dirt," he said.

Commissioners also asked whether the county would receive local sales or other taxes tied to the power sale. Terrell said the point of distribution is at the on-site substation and that questions about sales tax or where revenue is sourced should be answerable by the county tax office; he asked county manager Juan Bone to review a letter the developer had provided and provide a recommendation. The developer said the company intends a 20-year lease with typical multi-year extensions and that decommissioning and panel recycling are standard parts of project planning.

County staff said they had not yet reviewed the developer's vesting letter and that the county manager would do so; no formal vote or permit was requested of the board at the meeting. Commissioners did not approve zoning changes or building permits at the meeting; Terrell asked only for administrative acknowledgement of common-law vesting so the developer could continue contract commitments.

If county staff provide a letter confirming common-law vesting, Terrell said the developer expects to proceed with purchasing equipment and executing long-term power purchase and construction contracts. Commissioners said they would forward the developers letter to the county manager and county attorney for review.