On Tuesday evening, the Shelby County Council is scheduled to consider a property tax abatement for Ranger Power.

The Brooklyn, New York, company is set to build a 199-megawatt solar power facility on an 1,800-acre site northeast of Shelbyville.

Approval of the $175 million project, called “Speedway Solar,” came last week when the county's Board of Zoning Appeals voted 3 to 2 to grant a variance to allow Ranger Power to use the cropland for the commercial solar operation.

Nearby landowners opposed the plan fearing it would hurt their property values.

Some members of the county's farming community objected to taking farmland out of crop production, and were concerned about possible contamination of the site. 

Ranger Power leased the land so the ownership hasn't changed, and the zoning variance didn't change the designated use as farmland.

The company has submitted a plan to remove the solar installation at the end of its roughly 40-year lifespan so the land could be farmed again.

When operational in 2023, the facility's 700,000 solar panels are expected to produce enough electricity to power 35,000 homes, according to information on the website – www.speedwaysolar.com.

The website states the project will produce “at least $15.7 million” in revenue for Shelby County over the life of the solar farm.

Wabash Valley Power of Indianapolis has signed a 35-year deal to buy all the electricity produced by the facility.

The Shelby County Council meeting on Ranger Power's request for a tax abatement is due to start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening in the Court House Annex, 25 W. Polk St., second floor.