Mahoning County Commissioners will listen to the pros and cons of restricting large solar and wind power generating facilities in the unincorporated areas of ten of the county’s 14 townships.

During Thursday’s regular board meeting, commissioners are expected to announce plans to hold a public hearing next month on restricting the facilities in unincorporated areas of Austintown, Beaver, Berlin, Canfield, Coitsville, Goshen, Jackson, Milton, Poland, and Springfield Townships.

The hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday, February 15 at McMahon Hall located at 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, across from the Canfield Fairgrounds.

Commissioners have already banned large-scale solar and wind farms in Green Township following a hearing where hundreds of people turned out at a hearing to oppose a proposed $150 million solar project.

Under an Ohio law that went into effect in 2021, the board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution designating all or part of the unincorporated area of a county as a restricted area, prohibiting the construction of an economically significant wind farm, a large wind farm and a large solar facility.

Large wind and solar farms have been banned in all 18 townships of Columbiana County as of October.

Commissioners also asked to intervene and testify against the proposed 2,200-acre Kensington Solar Farm that's pending before the Ohio Power Siting Board.

It would be located in Franklin Township and more than 300,000 solar panels would be installed on land leased from private land owners.