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Board approves 22 MW Caledon Solar siting agreement with $572,000 upfront payment
Summary
After a public hearing and staff recommendation, the board approved a special-exception siting agreement for a 22-megawatt solar facility (Caledon Solar LLC) choosing the one-time voluntary upfront payment of $572,000; board members discussed revenue-share mechanics, vocational (CTE) funding requests, and construction-day restrictions.
The King George County Board of Supervisors voted Nov. 18 to approve a siting agreement for a 22-megawatt utility-scale solar facility (file Z-2024-00240) and authorized execution of the siting agreement with the applicant under the one-time voluntary payment option of $572,000 due within six months of commercial operation.
Staff explained the board had two offer structures from the applicant: a one-time upfront payment (calculated at $26,000 per megawatt, or $572,000 total) or a 15-year payment plan totaling $785,310. Staff also described deemed revenue-share payments spread over 40 years totaling about $1,937,239.50. Staff recommended the one-time upfront payment as the preferred option for the county.
During the public hearing, applicant representative Tyler thanked staff for negotiations and confirmed the project would be comfortable with the board’s chosen construction conditions. He said the developer would be willing to see the $572,000 used by the county as it deems appropriate, including vocational programming, but cautioned that earmarking additional commitments could make the project less competitive.
Supervisor Collins asked whether the applicant could provide additional contributions for the county’s career-technical-education (CTE) programs. The applicant said extra earmarking beyond the presented offer could add cost pressure and risk the project’s competitiveness. "There would be a risk there," Tyler said, when asked whether a small additional stipend could be added; the board’s CTE request was not included in the approved agreement.
After public comment and deliberation, the board voted to approve the siting agreement and find the project substantially in accord with the county comprehensive plan. The motion passed by majority vote; one supervisor cast a recorded no vote. The commercial operation date will determine statutory revenue-share escalators under state law, staff said — the siting agreement ties supplemental payments to that state schedule.
What happens next: staff will finalize and execute the siting agreement with Caledon Solar LLC and monitor the commercial operation milestone to trigger payment timing and the 40-year revenue-share schedule.
Key numbers on the record: project size — 22 MW; one-time voluntary payment option — $572,000; 15-year alternative — $785,310; 40-year revenue-share total described by staff — approximately $1,937,239.50.
