Solar farm may land in Lowndes

A $200M solar farm that would can both generate and store electric power may be coming to Lowndes County, Miss., after supervisors OK’d a resolution of intent (RoI) Feb. 3 to offer a fee-in-lieu agreement to help bring the MS Solar 5 power company to the region. MS Solar 5, a Delaware-based solar energy company that is a subsidiary of Origis Development, is considering a county location for its facility, said Joe Max Higgins, CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK. The final decision will rest with Origis and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which will have to award the contract, Higgins said. If the two entities come to terms, “then this project will happen," he said. If TVA awards the contract, construction could start by spring and be operational by fall 2022. The RoI would allow Lowndes to enter a fee-in-lieu agreement contingent upon the completion of the project. The firm would pay one-third of the county and school property taxes for 10 years, upon completion, according to County Administrator Ralph Billingsley. After that, the company would pay full taxes. Fee-in-lieu agreements are common in Lowndes for industries that invest at least $100M. The solar farm would initially generate 200 mw annually. "To put a face on that, Steel Dynamics is Tennessee Valley Authority's biggest customer," Higgins said. "(It) uses about 360 megawatts (annually)." The project would be the first solar farm in Mississippi that can both generate and retain power at the same time. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 02/04/20)