Solar project planned for Mountsberg

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Light is being shed today on a new solar energy project being proposed for the Mountsberg area.

Representatives from Samsung appeared at Hamilton city hall to talk to members of the planning committee about their proposed solar farm on a parcel of land in Mountsberg. Samsung officials describe the land as non-prime agricultural land, and that actually angered one of the councillors. Robert Pasuta is not only a farmer in the area, but he actually farmed that specific parcel of land, and he said it is prime. In fact, he described it as productive agricultural land.

“We need to keep the farmland as best we can. Solar projects can go other places, and I believe the best place is on rooftops. It is a 20-year lease. What’s going to happen after 20 years? Is it going to stay, is it going to be gone?”

“There’s been no neighbour input into this. The neighbours I talked to aren’t happy about that, it’s going to devalue their properties.”

“The whole farm is productive land. Like I said, I worked 300 acres in the area and made my whole life there, never worked off the farm and raised 7 kids on that type of a land.”

Samsung does not need the city’s approval to negotiate a deal for this parcel of land, but it helps them in their bidding process. As for public input, they have yet to hold a public meeting. The first will be held in Carlisle and it gets underway at 5:00.

Image: Solar panels in Ogiinuur, Mongolia (Chinneeb via Wikimedia Commons)