SANDS TOWNSHIP — After a unanimous vote by the Sands Township Planning Commission on Tuesday night, a 1,500-acre solar farm in the township is ready to move forward.

The planning commission voted to approve a special-use permit for the Superior Solar Project, which will be located on Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. property southwest of the intersection of Marquette County Road 480 and M-553.

The project, headed by Savion, LLC, of Kansas City, Missouri, is expected to produce 149.7 megawatts of power, serving the Midcontinent Independent System Operator power grid into the Dead River-Arnold 345 kilovolt line. The solar farm is expected to be capable of powering around 35,000 homes.

The project involves an estimated capital investment of $100 million to $150 million. Officials say it is expected to bring $15 million to $20 million in new property taxes to the local economy over its 30-year lifespan, along with 200 temporary construction jobs and two to four permanent full-time jobs.

The project has been met with a mixed reaction from the community. Several residents voiced concerns on social media about the potential of decreased recreational opportunities, contamination of the Sands Plain Aquifer and a negative impact on wildlife and the surrounding environment. Although the project sits on Cliffs’ private property, the land is often used for recreational purposes, made possible by the Commercial Forest Land agreement which allows for public use of the area.

Residents were also displeased with the virtual format of Tuesday’s meeting, arguing it should have been postponed until COVID-19 was contained enough to allow the public to gather in one room to discuss the controversial project.

Sands Township zoning administrator Randy Yelle stated in a Mining Journal article last week that the township didn’t have the right to refuse the meeting, as Savion forked up the money to hold it. Yelle also issued assurances that all of the legal requirements highlighted in the Open Meetings Act of 1976, and amended this year to allow for electronic meetings due to the pandemic, were followed.

Both Sands Township and Savion encouraged public participation via mail, email and phone ahead of the meeting, and Yelle told The Mining Journal on Friday that the response was certainly mixed.

“We had some non support,” he said. “We had a petition of 80 signatures for non supporters and maybe five or six letters. We had over 60 letters of support and several more signatures.

“We received support from the Marquette County Board of Commissioners, the Marquette County Planning Commission, the Superior Watershed Partnership and Cliffs, of course. There seemed to be a lot of support for it.”

Yelle said he had concerns of his own, particularly the potential harm of the aquifer, but says the unanimous vote was passed under several conditions to protect the land.

“The biggest issues I had were the potential contamination and pollution in the aquifer,” he said. “But documentation proves that’s not going to be an issue. I had talked to a couple of township supervisors downstate and they’ve had no issues whatsoever.”

Yelle said Savion was informed of pest control and fencing conditions for the project, and assured the only fenced-off areas will be directly around the solar farm itself.

“As far as the use of pesticides, we informed Savion in September that we will not allow pesticides on the property,” he said. “There were conditions of approval utilized to kill weeds, and they can’t use anything other than organic material which has been approved to control the weeds.

“Another issue was the potential of all 1,500 acres getting fenced. The only part that will be fenced will be the solar panels themselves. The public will still have access around that fencing.”

Yelle is hoping those who oppose the project will try to give it a chance.

“I personally don’t think it will have the impact on the recreational people that they may think, because of the way it’s going to be set up,” he said. “There will be a few trails relocated, but Savion will relocate them. I’m hoping everybody will give it an opportunity and find that down the road, in the long run, it will be cost saving for everybody. It will support the locals as well as surrounding communities, and if they (Savion) violate any conditions, they’ll be closed down.”

The project is expected to break ground within three years, and be up and running by year three.

Savion was founded in 2019 and is currently developing 69 solar projects in 24 states.

The company has 26 completed solar projects across 10 states, according to its website, including one in downstate Muskegon.

“The Superior Solar Project team is very pleased with the decision of the planning commission to approve the project’s permit,” said Courtney Timmons, development director for Savion. “Thanks in part to the community’s broad support, we are excited to move the project forward. Based on the outreach we received from residents and organizations, as well as comments heard during the Dec. 15 meeting, the overall local sentiment on the project is positive. Several speakers commented on the excitement of a solar project in the area that would generate economic impacts while creating energy independence and security for the (Upper Peninsula). We want to thank everyone involved in this process and look forward to continued collaboration with the community.”

For more information, visit www.superiorsolarproject.com or www.savionenergy .com. A map of the project can also be found at www.sandstownshp.org under the “News” tab.