Commissioners hear hours‑long Duke Energy rezoning hearing for proposed 75 MW Granville Solar Center; decision continued to Dec. 1

Duke Energy representatives presented a plan on Nov. 3 to rezone three parcels on Satterwhite Road from AR‑40 to an Agricultural Support Enterprises conditional district to allow construction of a 75‑megawatt solar farm, with a potential 27‑megawatt battery storage component.

In a packed hearing before the Granville County Board of Commissioners, Beth Townsend, Duke Energy’s government and community relations manager for Granville County, said the project — which Duke calls the Granville Solar Center — would “provide 75 megawatts of clean renewable energy and potentially 27 megawatts of energy storage.” The company proposes a 35‑foot vegetative buffer around the perimeter and a 150‑foot setback along Satterwhite Road, animal‑friendly fencing, and designated wildlife corridors to limit habitat fragmentation.

Planning Director Barry Baker told commissioners the Planning Board held a public hearing Aug. 21 and recommended denial of the rezoning by a 4–1 vote, saying the application is inconsistent with the county’s 2018 comprehensive plan goals to preserve…