Visitors to Groveland Mine Solar will have the same access to Groveland Ponds that they enjoy today and no state forest roads will be closed or obstructed, according to developer Circle Power Renewables of Royal Oak.

“Though areas immediately surrounding the solar arrays will be fenced, visitors to nearby popular fishing and hunting habitats will continue to have the same access to Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest roads near the solar array clusters that they have today, allowing for continued recreational enjoyment of the area,” Circle Power stated.

Despite those assurances, the proposed 500-acre solar farm has drawn opposition, including protests from Guardians of the Keweenaw Ridge, a western Upper Peninsula group that has fought efforts by Circle Power to site a wind farm in Houghton County.

Charles Markham, president of the group, attended an Oct. 24 meeting of the Norway Township Planning Commission and asked for a six-month project moratorium. “They’re trying to ruin the Upper Peninsula

Markham said. “These guys are capitalists. They’re subsidy-mining.”

Groveland Mine Solar would be located about three miles southeast of the M-95 and M-69 intersection north of Iron Mountain. No Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest roads would be closed, including during construction, developers say. (Circle Power Renewables photo)

About 10 other citizens spoke against the project, saying it’s a bad fit that comes with environmental and economic unknowns.

“This is a factory,” said Angela Hall of Kingsford, claiming some promised taxed benefits are “negligible” when viewed over a 30-year period. “The negative impact is substantial,” she said.

Rene Skrumbellos of Iron Mountain said his observation is that “the majority of people do not want it.”

The planning board, however, endorsed a zoning measure for solar power that now goes to the Norway Township Board for approval. Mike Steeno, who holds a trustee seat on the planning commission, said it shouldn’t be the panel’s role to dismiss legitimate industry.

Commission member Brent Swanson said he believes the majority of the township’s residents are in favor of going forward.

The project has letters of support from the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, Operating Engineers 324, Laborers’ Union Local 1329 and Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, among others.

Brian Kerrigan, MRCC regional director, attended the Oct. 24 meeting and praised the project as “a prudent investment” that will bring good outcomes, including repurposing an abandoned industrial site.

Township Supervisor Don Byczek, who serves as zoning administrator, told citizens if a zoning amendment is approved, they’ll have the right to seek a referendum. Depending on the success and timing of a petition drive, the township-wide vote could be scheduled for May.

Circle Power has so far fielded more than a dozen queries about environmental risks, trying to answer each individually. The list includes worries that silica sand on the site will be disturbed, creating a health hazard.

In response, the developer commissioned a study through the engineering and consulting firm Exponent. It concluded there is little or no health risk from airborne exposures as there is “no or very low respirable silica” at the site.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reaffirmed its support for the project in an Oct. 19 letter to Norway Township Board.

“Your cooperative effort with us, the project developer Circle Power, and stakeholders in the community to update your zoning ordinances demonstrates prudent governance that will yield benefits for many years,” DNR Director Daniel Eichinger stated in the letter.

Groveland Mine is a former 347-acre iron mine tailings site gifted to the state in the mid-1990s. In June 2020, the DNR put out a request for proposals to develop a large-scale solar array at the site, with Circle Power awarded a five-year land lease in September 2020.

Groveland Mine Solar would be built on lands leased from the DNR, along with some private land. About 20% of the site is considered forested, with more than half of that being relatively immature new growth, according to Circle Power.

The permitting process will include decommissioning agreements with the townships, detailing how the site will be restored after its use for energy. It is likely that Circle Power will transfer the completed project to a company that specializes in owning and operating power-generating plants, which may include a regulated public utility, such as Upper Peninsula Power Co.

The solar farm’s connection to the electric grid will be controlled by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which sets the requirements for accepting new generation capacity.

The project timeline calls for construction in the next two years, with the array operational before the end of 2025. The site has a rocky and sandy terrain, a byproduct of mining, so Circle Power plans to support the panels by setting large heavy footings on the surface. Panels will be mounted on a fixed-tilt racking system.

The project is being developed through Circle Power’s affiliate, Copper Country Power I, LLC. Circle Power is backed by Amber Infrastructure and its U.S. parent, Hunt Companies Inc.

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.