Telesto Solar
Project summary
Telesto Energy Project, LLC is proposing the Telesto Solar Project, a 128-megawatt dc (110-megawatt ac) solar facility located in the West Urban Area on approximately 558 acres of privately-owned land in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Telesto Solar will provide a stable, long-term economic benefit to the area.
Economic benefits
The project is expected to pay approximately $7.5 million over life of the project. These funds will provide new revenues for the City of Elizabethtown, Local schools, and more.
The project is expected to create 150-200 direct jobs during peak construction and hundreds of indirect jobs.
Environmental commitment
In addition to generating affordable, clean energy for the Kentucky electrical grid, development of the land with home-grown solar energy has several additional long-term benefits, including:
Rest and regeneration of the land during the project’s life, improving soil health and preserving it for future use.
Healthy groundcover under and around the panels that boosts local biodiversity, creating a stable, long-term home for plants, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Opportunity for integrated agriculture such as sheep grazing with local farmers.
Continued local ownership of the land.
Energy security and independence from foreign sources of fuel.
Healthier air quality by generating electricity with no polluting carbon dioxide emissions.
The energy generated at Telesto Solar will deliver power to the 138 kV East Kentucky Power Cooperative substation. The solar-powered electricity generated will deliver clean, renewable electricity to the Kentucky bulk power transmission system to serve the needs of electric utilities and their customers.
Questions
For links to research reports on economic development in Kentucky please visit Resources.
City Correspondence
On August 6th the Landowners for Telesto Solar submitted a letter to the City Council. The City responded to their letter on August 28th outlining the process for annexation. City Staff submitted a memo to City Council regarding the annexation request on September 10th, and Lightsource bp filed a response memo on October 16th. Below are copies of this correspondence.
City Response to Landowner Letter
bp’s ambition is to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero. bp is America’s largest energy investor since 2005, investing more than $125 billion in the economy and supporting more than 125,000 additional jobs through its business activities. For more information on bp in the US, visit www.bp.com/us.
bp is the long-term owner of the project and our 50:50 joint venture partner, Lightsource bp will develop the project. Lightsource bp is a global leader in solar development with a successful 10-year track record of development and long-term management of solar projects.