Invenergy has moved into full construction on Yellow Wood Solar, a 300-megawatt generating facility in southern Clinton County, Ohio, that will sell its output to Meta. Panels are to occupy roughly 2,460 acres inside a 4,400-acre leased area in Clark and Jefferson townships, south of Jonesboro.
State approval came in June 2023, according to the report. The schedule calls for building through September 2027, testing and commissioning during the second and third quarters of 2027, commercial operation by the end of that year and site restoration starting in early 2028.
Three regional unions are involved: IBEW Local 82, LiUNA Local 265 and IUOE Local 18. Invenergy estimates a lifetime economic impact exceeding $320 million from taxes, lease payments, wages and benefits — a figure the company released in a news release rather than an independent study.
The layout includes tracking rack-mounted photovoltaic modules plus access roads, a maintenance building, collection lines, weather stations, inverters, transformers, a collection substation and a 345-kilovolt interconnection line. Regulators attached 34 conditions, negotiated with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and siting board staff, covering fencing and setbacks of 150 feet from roads and non-participating property lines, plus 300 feet from non-participating homes. A decommissioning bond is estimated at $14,115,364.
Union officials Tom Anderson, Troy Adamson and Justin Phillips described the work as a local jobs gain, while Invenergy project manager Mary Vorderer said local hiring keeps benefits nearby. Meta will buy and retire all renewable energy certificates under the agreement. The Solar Energy Industries Association ranks Ohio 12th in installed capacity, eighth for growth potential and seventh for 2025 additions.