Samsung Renewables outlines 40‑MW Pine Branch solar plan for Carroll County

Samsung Renewables representatives Madison Brandt and Chris Simmons presented the Pine Branch solar project to the Carroll County Board of Supervisors as an approximately 40‑megawatt photovoltaic facility sited about eight miles from Hillsville.

Brandt introduced the team and said the presentation would cover project overview and schedule. Simmons described the site footprint and development timeline, telling the board that the firm has a target capacity of “about 40 megawatts” with a potential add‑on for battery energy storage. He said the company submitted an interconnection request to PJM in December 2024 and expects a three‑phase interconnection study through 2026, with an interconnection agreement targeted in early 2027 and a notice‑to‑proceed goal of February 2028 and commercial operation in 2029.

On environmental and cultural resources, Samsung said it had completed a desktop critical‑issues review and will undertake field studies including wetland delineation, species surveys and a Phase I environmental site assessment as part of the Virginia DEQ permit‑by‑rule process. “We anticipate low impacts to natural resources or cultural resources on the site,” Simmons said, adding the company will coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources as required.

Samsung also presented an economic analysis it commissioned. The firm reported “23 direct and 8 indirect and induced local job years,” about $1,400,000 in associated local wages and benefits during construction, roughly $5,100,000 in local economic output, and about $192,000 in state and local tax revenue during the construction period. Under the assumptions Samsung used, they estimated about $3,800,000 in cumulative county revenue over a 40‑year operational life for a 40‑MW array.

Board members raised questions about proximity to the county airport. One board member said the project is “less than a mile” from the airport and noted FAA recommendations; Samsung responded it will coordinate with FAA and county airport engineers and that it has built projects close to runways in the past. Samsung described decommissioning plans tied to 40‑year lease terms, saying full site decommissioning would typically take 12–18 months and that the project’s utility switchyard would be transferred to the utility and remain in place after decommissioning.

The board took no formal vote on the project during the meeting; Samsung left materials for county review and county staff and airport engineers were invited to coordinate with the company on technical and permitting questions.