Public Comment Hearing 7/13 in Havre de Grace for 2.5 MW Solar Facility

June 30, 2026

Maryland Public Service Commission Invites Comments on Proposed Solar Project in Harford County

(BALTIMORE, MD) – Local residents and other interested members of the public are invited to comment on a proposal by Hopewell Ranch Solar 1, LLC to build a 2.5 MW solar generating facility in Harford County. The hearing will take place on Monday, July 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Level Volunteer Fire Company, 3633 Level Village Road in Havre de Grace.

The Maryland Public Service Commission has delegated this case to its Public Utility Law Judge Division; Public Utility Law Judge Jennifer J. Grace will preside over the hearing.

In September 2025, the developer – Community Power Group, LLC – applied to the Commission for what is known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which grants an applicant the authority to construct an energy generating station in Maryland. According to the application, the developer proposes to build the project on 11.5 acres of an approximately 35-acre property located at 127 Hopewell Road in Churchville. The project will generate energy to be allocated to community solar subscribers within Baltimore Gas and Electric Company’s service territory.

In addition to taking comments from the public, the hearing will include a presentation by the applicant, brief statements by the parties, including the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Commission’s Technical Staff, as to their respective roles and recommendations in the case.

The hearing will also include a virtual option for those unable to attend in person. Attendees can register (by July 9, 2026) from the ‘File a Public Comment’ page of the Commission’s website, https://psc.maryland.gov/online-services/file-a-public-comment/:

• Scroll down to the Calendly application;
• Click on the entry for ‘Case No. 9811-Hopewell Ranch Solar 1 (CPCN)’
• Click on July 13, 2026, select 6:00 p.m. and click ‘Next’
• Enter name and email address and click ‘Schedule Event’

Registrants will receive a Zoom link by email after finishing the sign-up process. Barring any technical difficulties, a recording will be available on the PULJ Division’s (MD PSC PULJs) YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@mdpscpuljs327

In addition to the hearing, written comments can be sent electronically through the Commission’s online portal at: https://psc.maryland.gov/online-services/file-a-public-comment/, or by mail. Comments sent by mail should be addressed to: Jamie Bergin, Chief Clerk, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, 16^th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. So that they are noted in the proper case file, all comments should reference Case No. 9811 and can be sent through July 20, 2026.

In addition to the online case docket, a copy of the application is available for public view at the Harford County Planning and Zoning Department, 220 South Main Street (2^nd Floor) in Bel Air.
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Media contact: Tori Leonard | tori.leonard@maryland.gov; after June 30, please contact Kathy Fueston, kathy.fueston@maryland.gov

About the Public Service Commission:
The Maryland Public Service Commission regulates electric and gas utilities and suppliers, telephone companies (land lines), private water and sewer companies, passenger motor vehicle carriers for hire, taxicab companies in some jurisdictions and bay pilot rates. The Commission implements the State’s energy policy and also regulates the siting of energy generating facilities and high-voltage transmission lines.

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