2021-00170

Docket 2021-00170 concerned the proposed Mason Solar Project by AEUG Mason Solar, LLC, which planned to construct an approximately 250 megawatt merchant electric solar generating facility on about 2,500 acres in Mason County, Kentucky, at 5244 Raymond Road, Mayslick, KY 41055. The project included solar panels, 41 inverters, battery storage, and a substation connecting to East Kentucky Power’s transmission line. The site was not within city limits and was under the jurisdiction of the Mason County Joint Planning Commission, with local setback requirements observed 1, 1, 1, 2.

AEUG Mason Solar, LLC filed its original notice of intent (NOI) on April 14, 2021, followed by renewed filings on November 24, 2021, and June 21, 2022. Despite these notices, no formal application for a construction certificate was ever submitted. In March 2025, the Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting requested a status update after the NOI expired. On April 16, 2025, AEUG Mason Solar formally withdrew its NOI and requested the case be closed. The siting board then closed and removed the case from its docket 3, 4, 4, 3.

Timeline of key events and submissions in Kentucky PSC Case No. 2021-00170 (AUEG Mason Solar, LLC):

April 13, 2021: The PSC received AUEG Mason Solar, LLC's notice of election to use electronic filing procedures and assigned case number 2021-00170 1, 2.

April 14, 2021: AUEG Mason Solar, LLC submitted its original Notice of Intent (NOI) to file an application for a certificate of construction for a 250 MW solar facility in Mason County, Kentucky. This NOI was found administratively complete and the case was officially opened 2, 3.

November 24, 2021: A renewed and restated NOI was filed by AUEG Mason Solar, LLC 4.

June 21, 2022: A second renewed and restated NOI was filed by AUEG Mason Solar, LLC for the same project 5, 5.

June 22, 2022: The siting board confirmed the June 21, 2022 filing was administratively complete and reaffirmed the case number 6, 6.

March 5, 2025: The siting board issued correspondence stating the NOI for the case had expired and requested a status report within 30 days, warning the case would be closed if no response was received 7.

April 16, 2025: AUEG Mason Solar, LLC filed notice withdrawing its NOI and requested the case be closed and removed from the docket 8, 8, 8.

April 16, 2025: The siting board issued an order formally closing and removing the case from its docket 9.

No certificate application was ever filed; all activity was limited to notices of intent and related correspondence.

The key stakeholders in Kentucky Public Service Commission case no. 2021-00170 (the AEU Mason Solar Project) are:

- AEU Mason Solar, LLC (project applicant)
- Kentucky Public Service Commission and Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting (regulatory agencies)
- Mason County Joint Planning Commission (local planning authority)
- Mason County Judge/Executive Owen McNeill (local government representative, also an ad hoc member of the siting board)
- Governor Andy Beshear (appoints ad hoc members to the siting board)
- Legal representatives for AEU Mason Solar, LLC: Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC, including James W. Gardner and M. Todd Osterloh
- Resident representative: Andrew W. Wood
- Other members and designees from state government, including representatives from the Energy and Environment Cabinet and the Economic Development Cabinet

Positioning:
- AEU Mason Solar, LLC was the proponent of the 250 MW solar facility, seeking regulatory approval and filing notices of intent 1, 1, 1.
- The Kentucky Public Service Commission and Siting Board functioned as neutral regulators, processing the application and managing procedural requirements 2.
- The Mason County Joint Planning Commission had jurisdiction over local zoning and setback requirements but did not publicly express opposition or support in the provided excerpts 1, 3.
- There is no evidence in the excerpts of formal opposition from any stakeholder or organization. There is also no record of explicit support or opposition from individual local officials or residents.
- Ultimately, AEU Mason Solar, LLC withdrew its notice of intent and the case was closed, but no positions for or against from other stakeholders are documented in the excerpts 4, 4, 2.

In summary, the main parties were AEU Mason Solar, LLC (supporting the project), regulatory and local authorities (procedurally neutral), and there are no explicit records of opposition or support from other stakeholders in the excerpts provided.

The excerpts do not identify any "areas of growth" in the sense of economic development, market expansion, or sectoral growth. The docket is focused on the procedural filings and regulatory process for the proposed AEUG Mason Solar Project, a 250 MW solar facility in Mason County, Kentucky.

Key considerations discussed in the docket include:

- The proposed construction details: approximately 2500 acres of solar photovoltaic panels, 41 inverters, battery storage, substation, and transmission line connection 1, 1, 1.
- Regulatory requirements: local setback requirements (100 feet front yard, 50 feet side yard, 30 feet rear yard) and adherence to local planning and zoning, with no deviation requested from state setback standards 1, 2.
- Siting jurisdiction: Mason County Joint Planning Commission has jurisdiction; the project is not within city limits 1, 1.
- Project status: The notice of intent to file an application was ultimately withdrawn by AEUG Mason Solar, LLC in April 2025, and the case was closed by the Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting 3, 4, 3.

No explicit "areas of growth" are outlined in this docket. The content is administrative and regulatory rather than strategic or developmental.

The provided excerpts do not discuss specific financial or timeline risks and concerns related to the Mason Solar Project docket. The excerpts primarily address procedural filings, project details, jurisdiction, and the eventual withdrawal and closure of the notice of intent by AEUF Mason Solar, LLC. No explicit mention of financial risks, project delays, cost overruns, or related concerns is present in the provided text. The only clear timeline event is the expiration of the notice of intent due to no application being filed, leading to the case being closed and removed from the siting board's docket 1, 1, 2.