COLDWATER TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – Branch County and township officials joined Apex Clean Energy Friday to celebrate the first full year of operations for the Coldwater Solar project and to accept more than $1 million for the project’s first full year of tax and community benefit payments.
The ceremony also marked the start of construction on the neighboring 75-megawatt Coldwater Storage project.
Apex completed construction on the 150-megawatt solar facility last fall. Officials say it generates enough domestic energy to power more than 30,000 average homes annually.
Apex CEO Ken Young presented payments totaling more than $1 million to Coldwater and Ovid Townships. The total represents property taxes and community benefit payments made by the solar project this summer.
It is the first of many annual payments that will result in nearly $30 million in new local revenue over the project’s lifetime to support community priorities, including township and county governments, the Branch Intermediate School District, Coldwater Community Schools, and Branch County services such as the library, transit, 911 dispatch, and senior services.
Coldwater Township Supervisor Don Rogers accepted the $365,968 payment on behalf of the township and highlighted the project’s positive impact on township finances.
“Coldwater Township has an opportunity to take the benefits from these projects and use them responsibly to strengthen our community,” said Rogers. “We are proud of the relationship we have developed with Apex Clean Energy and appreciate their investment in Coldwater Township, their willingness to work with our local government and, most importantly, the long-term commitment they have made to our community.”
Coldwater Supervisor Don Rogers and Apex CEO Ken Young (courtesy Apex Clean Energy)
Township revenue will grow again once the 75-megawatt Coldwater Storage project, now under construction, begins operating. Storage is expected to add about $1 million a year in the first 10 years of operations, roughly doubling Apex’s annual payments to the area.
Planning Commission Chair Andy Acmoody accepted the tax payment of $645,217 on behalf of Ovid Township and highlighted public safety improvements the township was able to make because of the solar project.
“With this new funding, Ovid Township was able to assist in the purchase of a tanker truck for Lakeland Fire Department, purchased a marine patrol boat for the Branch County Sheriff, and is in the process of installing tornado sirens throughout the Township,” said Acmoody.
Ovid Township Planning Commission Chair Andy Acmoody and Apex CEO Ken Young (courtesy Apex Clean Energy)
Part of the project is located on land owned by Ovid Township farmer Brian Walker, who described why local landowners felt solar was a good way to support their families while also preserving the land for the future.
“Farming can be a gamble, with good years and bad years. By partnering with Apex to harvest the sun for energy on some of our land, we see guaranteed income that helps us keep the land in the family,” said Walker. “At the same time, instead of farming the land hard, year after year, taking from it—this gives the land a chance to rest for many years while still maintaining its potential for farming.”
Officials say Coldwater Solar’s economic impact began during construction, which was led by Michigan-based Barton Malow and other local contractors. More than 400 workers contributed to the project, and more than $50 million was spent with 57 different Michigan businesses.
Other financial benefits from the project include long-term investments in community organizations through Apex’s Community Grant Program, which has awarded more than $60,000 in funding to date for local nonprofits and causes, and a partnership with multiple organizations through the Apex Conservation Grant Program to support the Great Lakes Rare Butterfly Program, conservation work at Coldwater Lake State Park, and wetland restoration at Binder Park Zoo.
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