General

OPPD allows key agreement for York County project to expire

OPPD is allowing its Generator Interconnection Agreement (GIA) to expire for a proposed York County solar project to ensure construction activities do not get ahead of regulatory development efforts of the York County board, citing a challenging regulatory environment with ongoing uncertainty tied to the county’s proposed zoning regulations. 

The utility has engaged landowners, residents and local leaders over the last three years to advance reasonable regulations to allow solar development. The K-Junction project, acquired in 2023, has the potential to deliver up to 310 megawatts of solar energy to help meet growing energy demand. 

OPPD’s GIA secured the project’s ability to connect with the Southwest Power Pool, a critical step for ensuring the timely and cost-effective delivery of power to the grid. 

The GIA includes various milestone requirements for project construction activities, which are challenging to meet with the delays in developing solar regulations. The expiration of the agreement will result in the loss of the reserved interconnection service obtained after an extensive, multi-year process. A new interconnection request will need to be submitted to the Southwest Power Pool to provide new milestones before the project can connect to the grid. 

‘Substantial barriers’

OPPD officials say the continued York County time delays and the proposed solar regulations create substantial barriers to development. Requirements such as excessive setbacks, compounding land use constraints, open-ended permitting authority, and a cap on capacity make projects difficult to design, finance, and permit. 

“These standards go beyond typical zoning practices and make it difficult to define scope, cost or timeline,” said Dustin Marvel, OPPD’s Government and Community Relations Manager. “The cumulative effect is a regulatory framework that impairs development rather than setting responsible land use standards.” 

The decision carries economic implications. The K-Junction project would represent more than $610 million in net economic development and over $30 million in local tax revenue for York County, along with income opportunities for participating landowners. 

OPPD continues its efforts and said it remains committed to meeting growing demand with a diverse mix of generation resources where conditions support reasonable development opportunities. 

A public hearing to address proposed utility-scale solar zoning regulations is scheduled for April 27 at the York County Courthouse.