The county still counts Bellflower’s 1,768 acres, a project it revoked on Oct. 7. Here’s what that means for neighbors, for your power bill, and for anyone watching Southside Virginia energy.
By Stuart Turley, Energy News Beat
A reader asked us a simple question: how much more solar can Brunswick County, Virginia, actually take? The county’s own answer, printed in its Oct. 21, 2026 Board of Supervisors agenda, is almost none. Its zoning ordinance caps utility-scale solar at 8,500 acres. The planning department reports 8,249.31 acres committed and just 250.69 acres left. That is the same figure it gave in March.
But that total still includes a project that no longer exists.
The Bellflower math
Bellflower Solar, a 600-megawatt Dominion Energy project, counts for 1,768.20 acres in the county tally. The same October agenda says the project “has been terminated by developer,” and that the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission voted unanimously on Oct. 7, 2026, to revoke its conditional use permit.
Take Bellflower out and the nine remaining approved projects add up to about 6,481 acres. That leaves roughly 2,019 acres under the cap, eight times what the county reports. That is ENB’s arithmetic from the county’s own numbers. The county has not published an updated figure, and it should confirm one.
A note on how the county counts: “committed” acres are not the full project footprint. The county counts 70% of the acres inside the fence, under the panels. Parcel sizes are far bigger. Rocky Run alone sits on a 5,813-acre parcel.
What else the record shows
· Monarch’s state filing outran its local permit. The county lists Monarch at 350 MW, approved June 21, 2023. Its 2025 SCC application (PUR-2025-00150) sought up to 400 MW of solar plus a 300 MW battery. But the county’s March 18 agenda says the developer told a Feb. 5 SCC hearing it had decided not to include battery storage. The SCC approved Monarch’s certificate July 28, 2026, per the county, and the developer is weighing a ‘limited amendment’ to its county permit to refine project limits (Oct. 21 agenda).
· An apparent error in the tally. Planters Solar is listed at 28 acres, but 70% of its 30.20 fenced acres is 21.14. The difference is small, 6.86 acres, and two other entries are off by less than half an acre.
· A cluster of big projects. Rocky Run (300 MW), Zeus I (200 MW) and Zeus II (200 MW) are all county-approved. With Dominion’s County Line Solar (up to 86 MW, on the Greensville/Brunswick line), that’s about 786 MW of approved solar in Brunswick and along its Greensville line. Zeus I also includes a 100 MW / 400 MWh battery, per the county.
· Gas and grid next door. Dominion’s Brunswick County Power Station is a 1,358 MW gas plant. County Economic Development Director Alfreda Jarrett Reynolds briefed supervisors after touring Dominion’s roughly $500 million LNG storage facility under construction. Supervisors also approved a Powellton Substation that, county officials said, is meant to strengthen reliability of the existing grid and “will not provide service to new customers” (Brunswick Times-Gazette).
· Data centers are knocking. Two rezonings from agricultural to industrial are pending: 936.49 acres on Belfield Road (Case 26-025) and 200 acres (Case 26-035), per county public notices. On Oct. 12, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend deferring Case 26-025 to its Nov. 10 meeting, pending VDOT comments on the traffic study. A new rule adopted Sept. 16 requires a conditional use permit for data centers in industrial zones. It exempts property within 1.5 miles of the Dominion plant and under a pending data center sale contract involving tax map parcels 55-64 and 55-65 (Oct. 21 agenda).
County-listed solar projects by MW and acres counted toward the cap. Source: Brunswick County BOS agenda, Oct. 21, 2026; SCC. Chart: Energy News Beat.
Why it matters to you
If you live in Brunswick County, the cap limits how much land can go to utility-scale solar. Whether 250 or about 2,000 acres remain decides how many more projects can apply. The difference is exactly Bellflower’s 1,768.20 counted acres.
The investor angle
For developers and investors, room under the cap could draw new applications. Watch who files next, whether batteries get added to approved sites, and whether data center demand near the Dominion plant pulls new generation toward it. Monarch’s 400 MW state filing against a 350 MW local permit shows that state and county numbers can diverge, so check both.
Stu’s Take
The county says its solar cap of 8,500 acres is nearly full, with 8,249.31 committed and 250.69 left. But that count still carries Bellflower’s 1,768.20 acres, and Bellflower’s permit was revoked on Oct. 7.
Take it out and our math shows about 6,481 acres committed and roughly 2,019 open. Monarch was approved locally at 350 MW. Its state filing sought up to 400 MW plus a 300 MW battery, though the developer later told an SCC hearing it had dropped the battery. Data center rezonings of 936.49 and 200 acres are pending in a county that hosts a 1,358 MW gas plant.
Folks in Brunswick deserve an updated, official number. We will add this to our calendars to follow up for our Subscribers.
Caveats
The 2,019-acre figure is ENB’s calculation, not a county number. The county may count revoked permits differently or update the tally soon. At least 22 residents filed a Circuit Court petition in August 2025 challenging Bellflower’s permit. We found no public ruling, and the case’s status after the revocation is not clear. Developers and county staff were not contacted for this piece.
What to watch
· NOVI Energy is anticipating a joint public hearing on its Honeybee amendment in mid-to-late November 2026; no date is set (Oct. 21 agenda).
· The Nov. 10 Planning Commission meeting, where Case 26-025 returns after VDOT’s traffic review (Oct. 21 agenda), and the status of Case 26-035.
· Whether the county publishes a revised solar acreage total without Bellflower.
Thank you for your questions on this important project for our readers. As we grow the Research Desk to handle these kinds of questions, please let us know your feedback, and we are here to help our Subscribers.
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