Representatives for NextEra Energy said a Sept. 16 fire at an inverter connected to one of its solar panel fields near Robards is “currently under investigation.”
Many residents questioned why the Environmental Protection Agency wasn’t immediately called after the fire.
NextEra officials said that because the inverter contains less than 25 gallons of mineral oil a fire that may occur doesn’t require contacting the EPA. If it had contained more than 25, the EPA would have needed to be notified.
NextEra officials were on hand Tuesday for the Henderson County Fiscal Court meeting to provide more details of the fire that broke out in the afternoon of Sept. 16.
Robards Fire Department responded in the afternoon of Sept. 16 and doused the ground around the inverter. Firefighters returned in the evening when the fire flared again. RFD Chief David Denton said that firefighters used a special agent one of the firefighters had recently obtained that is designed for electrical fires.
NextEra officials came at the request of Magistrate Taylor Tompkins, who made requests to the company last week to come to the Fiscal Court to give updates at meetings, Tompkins said.
Tompkins, who said he regularly checks up on work and conditions at the solar fields, said he wants residents to hear updates straight from the source.
Despite animosity from some neighbors about thousands of acres of solar panels, those connected to NextEra are working to be good partners, Tompkins said.
J.W. Kment, with NextEra, said he will respond to all emails sent to him about the incident, but as of Tuesday, had not had time to get to all of them.
In other fiscal court news:
- Henderson County Water District General Manager Mark Julian told the fiscal court that its water loss decreased from last month.
He said the water district bought 50.1 million gallons in August and sold 34.1 million gallons. The loss equals 15.95 gallons or 31.8%, which is lower than July’s 41.7% water loss, he said.
Additionally, the water district fixed 27 leaks in August compared to 16 leaks fixed in July, Julian said.
The water district is continuing its battle to fix its old and leaky system. In April, the fiscal court approved $3 million in funding so that Julian and the water district can implement a plan to upgrade and repair the system.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Julian said the water district has hired Cody Kirby to take a project manager position to deal directly with the water loss project. Kirby has more than 20 years in water utility experience, Julian said.
- The fiscal court agreed to fund three pieces of new equipment that deals with pain management at Deaconess Henderson Hospital.
The three pieces of equipment are a C-arm, which is a mobile x-ray imaging device; an ultrasound machine; and a procedure table.
In a letter to Schneider, Linda White, Deaconess Henderson Hospital’s chief administrative officer, said that the three pieces of equipment would be used to expand pain management services at the hospital and one piece of that care is to provide patients alternatives to opioid dependance and withdrawal.
Schneider said the county currently has $430,000 of opioid settlement funds available. He said finding projects that would fit criteria for opioid settlement funds is difficult.
Total cost of the three pieces of equipment is $318,796, according to the letter.
Magistrates were in favor of using the funds for the hospital’s request, if it fit Kentucky Revised Statutes guidelines.
County Attorney Steve Gold said he had concerns that the request might not fit the guidelines. He said he’d research the guidelines and reach out to another county attorney.
“We will be getting back in touch,” Schneider told Deaconess representatives at the meeting.
- Henderson Office of Emergency Management Director Kenny Garrett introduced a new system for residents to receive alerts. It’s called “Know Now” and a person can sign up for it on the Office of Emergency Management’s page Henderson County government’s website. Click here to sign up.
- The fiscal court approved a resolution in support of the Henderson County Detention Center building a 100-bed addition. The cost is expected to be $7.5 million, and it must be approved by the Kentucky Department of Corrections. The resolution passed unanimously.
Schneider said the addition would be paid for with money from county government’s general fund reserves, currently sitting at $41.4 million, and the jail fund, which has $6.8 million. He said by pulling out of “these two pots of money, we can easily afford it.”
- During the good of the county section of the meeting, Bluff City Road resident Shannon Hill introduced a new volunteer citizens group called Henderson County Concerned Citizens. Hill, a leading opponent of a proposed windmill farm in the eastern part of the county, said the group will work to oppose green energy projects, will be involved in politics and will work for transparency in government. She also said the group will work on community projects, such as litter clean-up.
