Duke Energy eyeing Limestone for solar farm

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Limestone County could become the home to a nearly 600-acre solar farm dubbed the “Athenian Sky Solar” project, according to a letter sent to residents near the proposed project site.

The letter describes Athenian Sky Solar as being in the “early development stage” with potential to employ up to 250 people during construction and invest up to $85 million during operation. A representative with Duke Energy Renewables, the company behind the letter, said Duke Energy is looking at sites throughout northern Alabama and the Tennessee Valley Authority area.

If the project moves forward in Limestone County, Athenian Sky Solar could begin operating in as little as three years. A timeline included with the letter to residents near the site said it would take two to five years to survey the land, obtain permits and market the project to potential customers, including TVA, then another one to two years to build the farm.

Once built, Duke Energy estimates the farm would be in operation for at least 35 years before being decommissioned, which would include restoring “the land to its pre-project condition” over the course of about nine months.

Duke Energy said in its letter that development of the site would include adding trees and shrubs along portions of the project perimeter to “help screen the facility from residences of non-participating landowners within 500 feet” of Athenian Sky Solar. The proposed site in Limestone County is situated on about 580 acres between U.S. 72 and New Cut Road, east of Glaze Road, and a proposed layout shows about 1.72 miles of the 5.59-mile perimeter would have trees or shrubs added.

Athenian Sky Solar would be the company’s first solar project in Alabama. If built, it would have an estimated capacity of up to 67 megawatts, which, if achieved, would make it the seventh-most productive solar farm for the company and the most productive in the south, according to a list included with the letter.