Middlesex County issued in April a “request for proposal” (RFP) to establish a “solar farm” (solar power generating site) on the county owned “old” landfill property and the adjacent Thacker property at Stormont.
The RFP states that “Middlesex County… seeks proposal from solar energy developers to lease land owned by the county to install, own, operate and maintain a solar photovoltaic energy system (“solar farm”) pursuant to lease agreements.”
The old Middlesex County landfill and the Thacker property are located at the end of Faraway Road at Stormont and are zoned low-density rural (LDR) parcels. Properties in the immediate vicinity are also zoned LDR with a few residential properties along Faraway Road between the county owned properties and the intersection with Stormont Road, the RFP states.
The old landfill site has an area of approximately 60.18 acres, with streams/creeks on either side of the property. The periphery of the property is largely wooded, while the interior, where the now closed landfill exists, is cleared, exhibiting mounded topography typical of a landfill site.
The old landfill site is currently undergoing post-closure, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) monitoring with a detailed strategy to ensure environmental safety. The RFP states that “If a . . . proposed solar project will alter and impact the protection and maintenance of the landfill’s final cover (cap), the proposal shall include a plan to address concerns regarding the landfill cap and protection of the landfill gas system.
The Thacker property has an area of approximately 35.4 acres, with a stream/creek bisecting the southwestern portion of the property. About twenty acres of the property are wooded, while 13.4 acres are open and useable for solar panels, states the RFP.
Interested solar companies “may” propose solar facility projects on one or both of the properties, the RFP states. “The county will evaluate all proposals, with a preferred approach being a single proposal for both properties that provides the best economic solution; however, the county reserves the right to make multiple awards,” it states.
The county will receive submissions until June 6 at 2 p.m.
The Middlesex County School Board has allowed two solar energy generating sites on school properties. There is one located on Middlesex County Elementary School property at Locust Hill and another at Middlesex High School in Saluda.
