Commissioners review Synergy White solar project, say county will move quickly on battery‑storage ordinance; AI packet offered for data‑center protections

At its April 9 meeting the Southampton County Planning Commission received a staff briefing on the Synergy White Solar Project and agreed to accelerate work on a county ordinance covering battery‑energy‑storage systems (BESS), citing a short state timetable.

Staff summarized materials in the packet showing a proposed solar and battery facility off General Thomas Highway (Route 168). The renderings and materials identify a project footprint of about 107 acres within a 332‑acre parcel and note the development will sit roughly 1,700 feet from the highway. Staff said soils and preliminary neighborhood notification from 2024 were included in the packet.

Commissioners questioned whether the project would meet the county’s previously discussed forest/open‑land ratio for utility‑scale solar (discussed in the meeting as roughly 69% forest/31% open land) and whether focusing the facility on cleared portions of a larger tract could create a loophole. "That whole 300 and some acres is not part of the project," a commissioner observed; staff said the applicant will submit detailed maps showing open versus forested acreage when the formal site plan is prepared.

A majority of commissioners said the county needs an ordinance that addresses emergency response, decommissioning and technical safety for battery storage. Staff presented draft language used by the City of Suffolk and Isle of Wight as possible starting points and noted a bill described in the meeting as "House Bill 8 91 and Senate Bill 4 43" was on the governor’s desk; staff recommended tailoring Suffolk’s draft to county needs. "This could be part of a starting point for us in terms of battery energy storage ordinance for the county," staff said.

Commissioners asked staff to assemble a small working group to compare the Suffolk and Isle of Wight drafts, consult the county’s building and fire officials, and return recommended language to the planning commission in time for board consideration in June so the county could meet a July 1 timetable if necessary.

Separately under new business commissioners discussed model ordinances for data centers and a commissioner demonstrated an AI‑generated packet (produced with a Copilot tool) that compiled ordinance comparisons, model zoning language, and a briefing for elected officials. The commissioner said the tool produced a 30‑page, presentation‑ready packet that could be circulated to board members for review and revision.

Next steps: staff will request detailed project mapping from the Synergy applicant (open vs. forested acreage), form a small drafting group for a BESS ordinance and return recommended ordinance language to the planning commission ahead of the board’s June schedule. Commissioners will also review and circulate the AI‑generated packet on data‑center policy.