By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A pre-hearing date has been set for later this fall on the resubmitted application for the Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships.
The pre-hearing on RWE’s application with the Michigan Public Service Commission has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. before Administrative Law Judge James Varchetti. The hearing will be via video/teleconference, according to application documents.
RWE resubmitted its application under the entity name Silver Maple PV, LLC Sept. 18 with the MPSC. The company initially applied for approval in April, but then suspended the application after a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling which allowed Ottawa County to join the two townships as an affected local unit opposing the project.
If approved, RWE would break ground on the 200-megawatt, $330 million Silver Maple project in late 2027 and have it fully online in the second quarter of 2029, RWE project manager Joe Brochu said last month at a public meeting at the Dozeman Center inside Drenthe Grove Park.
RWE is applying for approval of Silver Maple under Public Act 233, the state law that allows developers to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the state for approval of large-scale renewable energy projects. The MPSC is a three-member commission appointed by the governor that regulates utilities and telecommunications companies in the state.
Zeeland Township has filed suit claiming PA 233 is unconstitutional, saying the law overrides local control over the regulation of wind, solar and energy storage facilities. The township last week sent letters to President Trump and members of his cabinet, asking them to intervene in the Silver Maple case. The project has generated heated opposition from many township residents, who believe its construction will harm local agriculture as well as the environment.
MPSC staff has 60 calendar days from the date the application was filed (Sept. 18) to determine its completeness. If the application is considered incomplete, staff will file an incompleteness determination notice to the case docket, according to the MPSC website.
Comments continue to be accepted online for Silver Maple. Anyone wishing to express their opinions will need to fill out an online form through MPSC. To look for information on the project, go to the MPSC’s renewable energy and storage facility siting webpage and then click on the link for the project case number U-22071.
Zeeland Record
A pre-hearing date has been set for later this fall on the resubmitted application for the Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships.
The pre-hearing on RWE’s application with the Michigan Public Service Commission has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. before Administrative Law Judge James Varchetti. The hearing will be via video/teleconference, according to application documents.
RWE resubmitted its application under the entity name Silver Maple PV, LLC Sept. 18 with the MPSC. The company initially applied for approval in April, but then suspended the application after a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling which allowed Ottawa County to join the two townships as an affected local unit opposing the project.
If approved, RWE would break ground on the 200-megawatt, $330 million Silver Maple project in late 2027 and have it fully online in the second quarter of 2029, RWE project manager Joe Brochu said last month at a public meeting at the Dozeman Center inside Drenthe Grove Park.
RWE is applying for approval of Silver Maple under Public Act 233, the state law that allows developers to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the state for approval of large-scale renewable energy projects. The MPSC is a three-member commission appointed by the governor that regulates utilities and telecommunications companies in the state.
Zeeland Township has filed suit claiming PA 233 is unconstitutional, saying the law overrides local control over the regulation of wind, solar and energy storage facilities. The township last week sent letters to President Trump and members of his cabinet, asking them to intervene in the Silver Maple case. The project has generated heated opposition from many township residents, who believe its construction will harm local agriculture as well as the environment.
MPSC staff has 60 calendar days from the date the application was filed (Sept. 18) to determine its completeness. If the application is considered incomplete, staff will file an incompleteness determination notice to the case docket, according to the MPSC website.
Comments continue to be accepted online for Silver Maple. Anyone wishing to express their opinions will need to fill out an online form through MPSC. To look for information on the project, go to the MPSC’s renewable energy and storage facility siting webpage and then click on the link for the project case number U-22071.
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