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Updated: November 15, 2026 @ 3:28 am
Residents and property owners attend Grenergy USA’s community open house Thursday at the old Ninety Six High School gym. The event provided information about the proposed $100 million Fieldstone Solar project ahead of Greenwood County Council’s scheduled public hearing and final reading Nov. 17.
A letter from Grenergy USA Project Development Manager Victoria Johnson invites nearby property owners to a Nov. 12 open house for the proposed Fieldstone Solar project. Several residents told the Index-Journal they received the letter approximately two days before the event, after Greenwood County Council had approved second reading of the proposed tax agreement.
An attendee reviews project details during Grenergy USA’s Fieldstone Solar community open house Thursday in Ninety Six. The proposed 74-megawatt facility would develop approximately 460 acres of an 877-acre property northeast of Highway 96 and Eddy Road.
Residents and property owners attend Grenergy USA’s community open house Thursday at the old Ninety Six High School gym. The event provided information about the proposed $100 million Fieldstone Solar project ahead of Greenwood County Council’s scheduled public hearing and final reading Nov. 17.
A letter from Grenergy USA Project Development Manager Victoria Johnson invites nearby property owners to a Nov. 12 open house for the proposed Fieldstone Solar project. Several residents told the Index-Journal they received the letter approximately two days before the event, after Greenwood County Council had approved second reading of the proposed tax agreement.
An attendee reviews project details during Grenergy USA’s Fieldstone Solar community open house Thursday in Ninety Six. The proposed 74-megawatt facility would develop approximately 460 acres of an 877-acre property northeast of Highway 96 and Eddy Road.
“I just think we should have had notice before now.”
That was the reaction of one nearby property owner Thursday evening as residents gathered to learn about a proposed $100 million solar farm near Ninety Six.
Property owners questioned why they received notification after Greenwood County Council had already advanced the project’s proposed tax agreement.
Grenergy USA hosted the drop-in open house at the old Ninety Six High School gym, where residents reviewed project maps, construction timelines and information about the proposed 74-megawatt Fieldstone Solar facility.
Several nearby property owners, who requested anonymity because of concerns involving neighboring properties, said they received letters about the project about two days before the meeting.
One property owner said a relative living in Lexington learned about the development through Facebook before the family received its first notification.
A letter provided to the Index-Journal by nearby property owners was signed by Grenergy USA Project Development Manager Victoria Johnson. The letter stated the company wanted recipients to be among the first to learn about the project and invited them to Thursday’s open house.
However, residents said they received the letter approximately two days before the event, after Greenwood County Council had already unanimously approved the proposed agreement on second reading Nov. 3.
“I don’t know what the protocol is, but I think we shouldn’t have gotten a letter after readings had already been done,” the resident said.
Residents expressed mixed opinions about the development. Some raised concerns about the project’s proximity to neighboring properties, while others said they were neutral about the solar farm if it benefited the surrounding community.
The concerns come ahead of a scheduled public hearing and third reading of Ordinance 2026-32 on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The ordinance would authorize a 30-year fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Fieldstone SC Solar LLC, previously identified as Project Apollo.
Council Chairman Dayne Pruitt, who attended Thursday’s open house, said he pushed for the community meeting and the company’s identification during second reading to provide residents an opportunity to learn about the project before final action.
“I want to hear what our community thinks about it,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt said he heard mixed reactions from attendees, including concerns about visual buffers.
Pruitt said the county’s ability to regulate the development is limited under existing zoning provisions, but the proposed FILOT agreement provides an opportunity to negotiate additional conditions.
“If they just follow the rules of zoning, I mean, we have basically no say,” Pruitt said. “But the FILOT gives us the opportunity to put in restrictions and even clawbacks, you know, for them to have to follow.”
The proposed agreement includes additional conditions addressing setbacks, screening, noise, roads, environmental compliance and construction hours.
According to materials displayed Thursday, Grenergy expects to develop about 460 acres of an 877-acre property northeast of Highway 96 and Eddy Road, leaving the remaining acreage as wooded areas, fields and buffers.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2028 and last about 20 months, with about 250 workers at peak activity. Commercial operations are anticipated in December 2029.
Grenergy also outlined plans for a project substation connecting to an existing transmission line, and stated that no new transmission corridor through neighboring properties would be required.
Under the proposed agreement, the $100 million investment would generate about $140,437 annually for Greenwood County, totaling about $4.2 million over 30 years.
During Thursday’s open house, Ian Evans, founder of Stratum Land & Energy Partners and a community outreach representative working with Grenergy, declined to answer questions from the Index-Journal in person, citing a company policy requiring media inquiries to be submitted in writing.
The newspaper subsequently submitted seven questions regarding the project’s development, construction timeline, employment, infrastructure needs, landowner arrangements and community benefits.
In a written response Friday, Grenergy USA project development representative Taylor Robinson provided a general project statement and addressed the company’s decision to locate the facility near Ninety Six. Several questions were not individually answered.
Robinson said the project is intended to meet the requirements of its customer, Duke Power.
“This area was chosen because there are engineering studies we and others conduct to identify areas where our type of project may benefit the local power systems. That is the case here,” Robinson wrote. “There is often speculation that we have other industries in mind for these projects but its not the case at all. We go where the data points us to.”
Pruitt said he intends to remain neutral until hearing additional public comments.
“I think it’s important that I always remain neutral till I’ve heard everything,” Pruitt said.
The county’s public hearing and third reading are scheduled for Tuesday’s council meeting.
Contact Renee Ortiz at 864-943-5643. Follow her on X: @By_ReneeOrtiz
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