Ohio's Coal Region Gets First Scalable Solar-Battery Project Approval

Ohio state regulators approved a major solar and battery storage project on reclaimed coal land in the state's coal region, marking the first state-level initiative of this scale to advance renewable

Ohio's Power Siting Board unanimously approved a permit for 149 megawatts of solar capacity and 149 megawatts of battery storage at the Hamden Energy site in Vinton County. The project, proposed by Recurrent Energy and built on reclaimed coal mine land in East Cleveland, is the first state-level clean energy project in Ohio's coal region to scale solar and battery storage. Notably, it faced no opposition during permitting despite typical pushback in Ohio's clean energy cases.

This project leverages Ohio House Bill 15 (2025), which designates former mine lands and industrial brownfields as priority investment areas. Vinton County—a region with extractive industries and 19% poverty—qualifies under this law, which could unlock over 70,000 acres of eligible land statewide. The project’s scale and use of brownfield sites directly address energy access gaps in coal-dependent communities.

However, construction begins only after Cheyenne Resources completes reclamation work. It also follows the 2018 Vinton Solar Energy Center project, which remains under construction by Invenergy. State regulators previously blocked solar projects under Senate Bill 52 (2021), highlighting ongoing trade-offs between development costs and local opposition. The project’s timeline hinges on meeting HB 15’s two-month eligibility window for state designations. If reclamation is completed, this initiative could accelerate renewable energy availability in Ohio’s coal regions while setting a precedent for similar transitions elsewhere.

Source: Canary Media