The Henry County Board of Supervisors approved two solar siting agreements with NewEnergy Equity at its Sept. 22 meeting.
Both projects, Henry Solar 1 LLC and Henry Solar 2 LLC, will be located in the Horsepasture District.
NewEnergy Equity Senior Project Developer Brian Keenan said one project will cover 28 acres and the other 17 acres. One will generate 4 megawatts and the other 2 megawatts.
Keenan said the company is developing shared, or community, solar projects.
“All the power goes to the grid. We’ve got local homes, churches, schools, and businesses that are subscribers to it, they get a share in the benefits of solar and get a financial credit on their bill without a direct connection from the panels to their residences. So, it’s a great way for institutions and homes to take advantage of solar without capital investment or putting it on their own roofs,” he said.
Keenan said permits are already in place for the projects to move forward.
Under the Code of Virginia, County Attorney George Lyle said larger solar projects are required to enter into siting agreements with the local governing body, but smaller projects are not.
“These small ones are in compliance with the county’s solar ordinance. They are within the cap that has already been approved by the zoning regulation that the board adopted, so they’re already included in the cap of solar facilities in the county,” he said.
When the special use permits were issued, Lyle said the Board of Zoning Appeals required the company to negotiate siting agreements with the Board of Supervisors.
“The key term probably is that they will pay the county $25,000 per megawatt for both the projects, for a total of $150,000 if the county enters into these two solar agreements. I will say that, because the Code of Virginia doesn’t require small solar projects to have a siting agreement, if the board declines the siting agreement the project could likely still be constructed,” Lyle said.
Debra Buchanan, of the Horsepasture District, asked if the projects fall within the county’s solar facility cap.
“Yes. This board earlier this year amended the zoning ordinance and as part of that amendment it placed a cap on solar. This project was already approved and is considered within that cap. It’s not an expansion of that, this is already within that,” Lyle replied.
Noting that many people have strong feelings about solar farms, Chris Lawless, of the Collinsville District, said that regardless of whether the board approved the siting agreements, NewEnergy Equity already had permits to move forward with the projects.
“Basically, what the man (Lyle) said is if we don’t approve it tonight, they’re still going to do it, and we don’t get any money. If we approve it, the county gets the money, it’s already done,” Lawless said.
In other matters, the board:
*Heard from Joshua Stone about the county’s homeless population.
*Heard from David Craig about electric cables meeting standards above roadways.
*Heard from Sherry Mitchell about the need for restrictions on battery energy storage sites.
*Approved a resolution honoring Deputy County Administrator J.R. Powell for his 31 years of service to Henry County.
*Presented the Community Connected Citizens Award to All Vets.
*Approved a proclamation recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Bassett.
*Designated Chairman Jim Adams, of the Blackberry District, as the voting representative and Garrett Dillard, of the Iriswood District, as the alternate voting representative for the 2026 Virginia Association of Counties annual business meeting.
*Approved the 2027 legislative agenda and sent it to the county’s representatives.
*Approved a resolution regarding Colonial Downs Group LLC’s desire to move to a location near Martinsville Speedway.
*Approved the consent agenda.
*Heard the monthly report on delinquent tax collection efforts.
*Heard an update from the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp.
*Heard an update on general highway matters from Virginia Department of Transportation officials.
*Approved sending a letter to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and VDOT requesting consideration of a lower speed limit between Carver Road and Horsepasture-Price Road.
*Approved giving $2,000 from the Horsepasture District impact funds to All Vets.
*Heard an update from CHILL, ‘Communities Helping Improve Local Lives,’ a youth-led organization seeking to teach others about the importance of mental health and the hazards of substance use.
*Approved giving $500 in Iriswood District impact funds, $500 in Ridgeway District impact funds and $500 in Reed Creek District impact funds to CHILL.
*Approved giving $500 in Iriswood District impact funds for an upcoming breast cancer awareness walk.
*Awarded a $51,214 contract to Haley Ford to purchase a replacement vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Division.
*Awarded a $71,864 contract to East Coast Emergency Vehicles LLC to purchase emergency equipment for seven Sheriff’s Office vehicles.
*Awarded a $64,800 contract to Commercial Parking Lot Services for asphalt maintenance at the Henry County Administration Building, Sheriff’s Office and Henry County Courthouse.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $1.75 million from the self-insurance fund balance to cover an operating deficit in the fiscal year 2026 employee self-insurance program.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $634,222 from the 1% sales tax fund to retrofit the metal roof at Axton Elementary School.
*Approved $1,117,751 in categorical transfers to reconcile the schools’ fiscal year 2027 budget following amendments resulting from changes in the commonwealth’s final budget.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $12,500 from the Harvest Foundation and $12,500 from the board’s contingency fund to conduct a preliminary engineering report on potential routes and challenges associated with connecting six bridges in Bassett through a loop trail system.
*Tabled a request to rezone lots 53A and 9G in the Iriswood District from Rural Residential District (R-R) to Limited Industrial District (I-2). The applicant wishes to develop a self-storage facility and potential restaurant on the property.
*Approved the rezoning of 1.937 acres in the Reed Creek District from Suburban Residential District (S-R) to Commercial District (B-1). The applicant wishes to develop two additional apartment buildings on the property.
*Awarded a contract to McDonough Bolyard Peck Inc. for erosion and sediment control inspection services for a 50-megawatt solar facility at 279 Thornfield Drive in Ridgeway.
