County hears AES takeover of Red Brick Solar, votes to oppose state preemption bill

Jimmy Merrick of APEX introduced Zack Pearce of AES at the Jan. 9 Lunenburg County Board meeting and said Pearce’s firm will be the new developer and owner-operator of the Red Brick Solar Project. Pearce told the board AES plans to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2025 and begin commercial operation in 2027. County Attorney Frank Rennie noted the Red Brick Solar Project was the first solar project the county approved.

Later in the meeting Rennie briefed the board on draft legislation before the Virginia General Assembly that, according to his summary, “would allow solar developers to disregard a locality’s Comprehensive Plan and solar ordinance, and bypass the locality’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in siting their solar facilities.” Rennie warned that the proposed changes could eliminate local authority over siting and potentially remove financial incentives for localities. The board unanimously approved a resolution opposing any legislation that would allow developers to bypass local comprehensive plans and zoning and forwarded the resolution to state representatives.

The action places the county on record opposing state preemption of local solar siting authority while county staff and developers proceed with the locally approved Red Brick project timeline.