Mostly cloudy. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..
Mostly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: May 27, 2026 @ 12:55 pm
The proposed Sandy Run Solar project would cover 1,500 acres of woodlands and farmland, with another 6,000 acres being part of the planned development area.
On May 26, Berkeley County Council voted 3-2 to lift the large-scale development moratorium for a controversial solar project in Cross despite major opposition from residents in the rural community.
Berkeley and Dorchester Metro Reporter
Komlavi Adissem is a metro reporter covering Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he covered city, county, and state government for the Columbia Missourian. Find him on Twitter (X) and Bluesky @KAdissem!
On May 26, Berkeley County Council voted 3-2 to lift the large-scale development moratorium for a controversial solar project in Cross despite major opposition from residents in the rural community.
MONCKS CORNER — The Berkeley County Council voted to lift the large-scale development moratorium for a controversial solar project in Cross that has pitted major environmental groups against locals looking to maintain the farmland and woodlands they call home.
At their May 26 meeting, County Council approved the request from RWE Solar Development, a subsidiary of the German energy giant RWE, to lift the moratorium in order to pursue a 1,500-acre solar farm as part of a 7,500-acre planned development west of Lake Moultrie.
The vote came after residents in Cross mounted a fierce opposition to the proposal, which would see swaths of pine forests turned into solar fields. A petition organized by council candidate Michael Parker garnered nearly 800 signatures by the time the meeting started.
Many residents showed up to voice their opposition in a last-ditch effort to sway Council against the request, and dozens of residents donned “VOTE NO” stickers on their shirts.
The public comment period became something of a battle between environmentalists and Cross residents, with Taylor Allred of the Coastal Conservation League and Paul Black of the Sierra Club speaking in support of the project. Both men, neither of whom live in Berkeley County, hailed the project as way to bolster the area’s energy capacity through green means.
“This is a way to produce power here in South Carolina, here in Berkeley County that can be used by the county and does not have these drastic negative environmental consequences,” Black said.
The solar facility is projected to produce 198 megawatts of electricity if built, which could power 37,500 homes and would account for 9 percent of Santee Cooper’s desired 2,200-megawatt increase in solar capacity.
Tory Kaso, a representative from RWE, addressed some of the concerns of residents, saying the panels would be made of glass and aluminum rather than ones made from cadmium, a toxic metal that can lead to negative long-term health issues like kidney and lung disease if exposed to for long periods. She added that the panels would not produce dust or emissions and won’t create noise “beyond the project line.”
“The solar panels for Sandy Run will be located more than a mile from public right of ways. The access road to where the facility will be constructed is heavily wooded, and it will remain that way,” she said. “Solar is a low-impact use of this land. It will complement and respect the rural character of Cross.”
Residents of the small rural community are unconvinced. Robert Barrett said he worries about what will happen to property values in the community as a result of the panels being installed. Brianna Carroll pointed out that major investment firms BlackRock and The Vanguard Group, along with the foreign investment fund of the Qatari government, own significant shares of RWE.
“RWE is a business entity. They are not a company that cares about Cross,” she said. “They don’t care about our life. They just see our area on a map, and they want to fill it.”
Carroll added that she sees the solar project development as a “Trojan horse” for major tech companies to set up a data center in the area, a concern shared by many residents.
The three candidates for District 7 also spoke in opposition to the request to lift the moratorium. Matt Hoover reiterated that community input and research led him to oppose it. His Republican primary opponent, Michael Parker, cited the county’s comprehensive plan, saying the land the solar farm would be built on is zoned in a way meant to protect the forests, farmland and rural character of the community.
“District 7 contains some of the last remaining green space in this area. Once that land is gone, it’s gone forever,” he said. “We also have serious concerns about long-term impact. Green energy should not come at the expense of the very land and the natural resources we’re supposed to protect.”
Ralph Prioleau Jr., the Democrat in the race, recalled President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, saying government should be “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
“What type of representatives are you going to be tonight? If you’re going to be a good representative of the people, for the people and by the people, then I know you will vote no tonight,” he said, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
The overwhelming opposition was not enough to sway Council, however. The vote came down 3-2 in favor of lifting the moratorium.
The proposed Sandy Run Solar project would cover 1,500 acres of woodlands and farmland, with another 6,000 acres being part of the planned development area.
Councilman Caldwell Pinckney Jr., who represents District 7 currently, reaffirmed his opposition to the project and told the RWE representatives to “go back to Texas.” Councilman Marshall West also voted against RWE’s request, saying the solar farm would be a “short-term answer to a long-term problem.”
Council members Amy Stern, Dan Owens and Jarrod Brooks voted to lift the moratorium.
Councilmen Phillip Obie II and Tommy Newell recused themselves, and Councilman Steve Davis abstained at the last minute after being ridiculed by the crowd for speaking in support of the request despite being a Cross native.
Supervisor Johnny Cribb did not vote, as he can only break ties. But he noted that he would have voted against the request.
The council chambers emptied out after the vote, with residents gathering in the lobby and outside to discuss the outcome. Some were disappointed, while others seemed to think it was a forgone conclusion.
Hazel Lee Davis, who runs the Cross General Store, said Berkeley County is turning into a “monopoly” and said she thinks the government is “bought off.”
“They were voted in by the people, so they should be for the people,” she said. “But that is not what’s happening at all. And we saw that tonight … that they are not for us, they are against us.”
Barrett said after the meeting that “this isn’t government, this is stupid.”
Still, there’s a long path ahead to the solar farm becoming a reality. Cribb noted during the meeting that the moratorium being lifted is essentially the developer reaching the “start line.”
Before the panels can be installed, RWE will have to go through the planning process, which includes a hearing before the Planning Commission and six more readings and votes from Council before all is said and done.
Berkeley and Dorchester Metro Reporter
Komlavi Adissem is a metro reporter covering Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he covered city, county, and state government for the Columbia Missourian. Find him on Twitter (X) and Bluesky @KAdissem!
The Post and Courier
148 Williman Street
Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-853-POST (7678)
News tips/online questions: newstips@postandcourier.com
Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
, Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. All rights reserved. | Terms of Sale
