County Board Approves Peotone Solar Farm Amid Debates Over Union Labor and Tornado Safety

Will County Board Meeting | March 19, 2026

Article Summary: A 52-acre commercial solar energy facility in Peotone was approved by the Will County Board despite concerns raised by members regarding the use of local union labor and the vulnerability of solar panels to severe weather.

Peotone Solar Farm Key Points:

• The board approved Ordinance #26-063 for a special use permit for a 4.98-megawatt solar facility at 5949 W. Eagle Lake Road in Peotone.

• Developer BAP Power assured the board that it utilizes union labor, anticipating new state laws requiring triparty labor agreements starting in June.

• Board members debated the safety of solar farms following recent tornadoes, with conflicting reports on the extent of damage to existing arrays.

• The board also approved extensions for previously permitted solar farms in Peotone, Monee, and Joliet townships.

The Will County Board on Thursday, March 19, 2026, granted a special use permit for a new commercial solar farm in Peotone, though the approval sparked extensive debate regarding labor practices and storm resiliency.

The board voted 14-1 to approve Ordinance #26-063, granting a special use permit for a commercial solar energy facility on 52.65 acres located at 5949 W. Eagle Lake Road in Peotone (Will Township). The applicant, BAP Power (doing business as Cenergy Power), plans to construct a 4.98-megawatt ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system.

Prior to the vote, Member David G. Oxley requested that the developer address the board regarding their hiring practices.

“The question is, what percentage of local labor will be used on this project?” Oxley asked.

Chad Chabazi, representing BAP Power, stated that while he did not have an exact percentage, the company tries to use as much local union labor as possible. He also noted that under the state’s new Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) rules, which go into effect on June 1, 2026, any project over three megawatts receiving a renewable energy contract from the state will be legally required to have a triparty labor agreement.

“Pretty much all the work that we do on these sites are union labor,” Chabazi said.

Member Frankie Pretzel noted that the board frequently receives letters from local unions, such as the Carpenters Union Local 174, asking the county to ensure these projects employ local workers.

“I don’t love these solar projects when we have people from the community coming and saying I don’t want this,” Pretzel said. “What I do love about these is that it can create local jobs… I just wish that we could condition these requests somehow to say that they have to use local unions to do the work.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Meyers advised the board that under current state law, the county does not have the legal authority to mandate a project labor agreement as a condition of a special use permit.

Safety concerns were also raised regarding the physical durability of solar farms. Member Judy Ogalla referenced a recent tornado that severely damaged a solar facility, noting that cleanup crews were seen wearing hazmat suits.

“I’d like to know more from land use as, you know, what’s the impact going to be if one of these gets destroyed here in an EF4 or EF5 [tornado]?” Ogalla asked.

Member Mica Freeman offered a different perspective, stating she recently drove past a large solar farm in Kankakee County that had been struck by a tornado.

“I can tell you that the houses across the street were in much worse damage than the solar panels that were on the ground,” Freeman said.

In addition to the new Peotone facility, the board approved several extensions for previously permitted solar farms, giving developers more time to secure building permits. These included Resolution #26-064 (SEXT-26-001) for Prairie Solar LLC on West Kennedy Road in Peotone Township, and Resolutions #26-069 (SEXT-26-006) and #26-070 (SEXT-26-007) for two Dralle Sun LLC facilities located on Dralle Road in Monee Township.