Some Lamar County residents are strongly opposed to a new energy deal that is in the planning phases and set to break ground in that area in the near future, according to information published on the Lightsource BP website.
The public will have another opportunity to weigh in on that matter and to learn more about those proposed plans at an upcoming public information meeting set to be held from 6-8 p.m. October 26 at the FEMA shelter, 99 Central Industrial Row in Purvis. The event is free and open to the public.
For several months now, those opposed to this project have held town hall meetings, organized online forums and created Facebook pages, including the circulation of a change.org petition, all in an effort to inform land owners in the Lamar County area of this project and express their concerns surrounding it.
“This isn’t just about private property rights, and it definitely is not about all the hype being put out about how great this will be for Lamar County – it goes much deeper than that,” said Jennifer West, a leader for a group known as Stop Solar Farms in Mississippi at a July 31 town hall meeting held in Purvis.
![Photo by Cayla Camp Burns from the July interest meeting in Lamar County]()
According to their official website, "Lightsource bp is in the process of developing a 90-megawatt ac (125 MWdc) solar project in Lamar County, Mississippi, called Minkar Energy Project. The owner of the project will be Lightsource bp’s 50:50 joint venture partner, bp, who is America’s largest energy investor since 2005. If approved, the project will generate new tax revenue for Lamar County without an increase on its citizens, create new jobs during construction and operations, and will reduce carbon emissions for healthier air."
Among those Lamar county landowners opposed to this measure are businessmen like Rucker Howell, a resident who has worked for 40 years in the banking industry and currently serves as the president of a local bank that invests in residential mortgages nationwide. Rucker spoke at the July town hall meeting about how he has first-hand knowledge of what these developments can do to the value of properties that are nearby or abutting those projects, stating that property values are oftentimes significantly diminished as a result.
He also said that if this deal goes through as planned, it will open the floodgates to a problem that will forever change the landscape of Lamar County.
"I guarantee there's ten, twenty, thirty companies waiting to see what's going to happen if this things goes through," he said at the meeting. "If this thing goes through, the doors open and our county is going to be changed forever."
Although a decrease in the value of property could lead to owners of those properties losing money on their return on investment, it is unclear whether a decrease in those market values would also lead to a decrease in the assessed values, which is a value set by the county that determines the amount of ad valorem taxes a property owner pays each year.
According to the Minkar Solar Project website, this project would lead to 150-250 direct jobs during the construction and operations phase of the project, while the cost in private capital to build out the site is slated to cost $137 million. The alleged benefits of the solar project include cleaner air in the form of lower emissions and a boost in tax revenue at no cost to the tax base, among other incentives.
![Photo of proposed site map taken from the Minkar Solar project website]()
Source: Minkar Lightsource BP official website
Lamar county is no stranger to the solar industry, and neither is Forrest County. In fact, Hattiesburg and Sumrall, both cities that are within those two counties, have already welcomed more than one major solar development in recent years.
In northern Lamar County, right outside of the city limits of the town of Sumrall, Cooperative Energy and Origis Energy joined forces to develop a 52-megawatt solar project in 2018.
"The 540-acre site, MS Solar 3, includes 206,000 polycrystalline solar panels which gather sunlight and transform it to energy that will power up to 11,400 homes," according to the Cooperative Energy release. "MS Solar 3 uses the best, most efficient solar technology available.
"Origis Energy built, owns and operates the facility while Hattiesburg-based Cooperative Energy has agreed to purchase all electricity the plant produces. Cooperative Energy is a not-for-profit, member-owned generation and transmission cooperative that supplies electricity to 11 member cooperatives that stretch from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee line."
![Photo taken from the Cooperative Energy official website]()
Source: Cooperative Energy official website
At the south end of the Hattiesburg city limits right at the county line, another solar development broke ground in 2017 with support from the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, Hattiesburg City Council, the Area Development Partnership and Mississippi power, a private investor owned utility company that services a large portion of southern states.
"On September 15, 2017, Mississippi Power and Silicon Ranch announced that a 50 MW solar generating facility in Hattiesburg officially became operational, providing energy to the Mississippi Power grid," according to the Silicon Ranch website. "To make the renewable energy project possible, the two companies worked closely with officials from the City of Hattiesburg and Forrest County, as well as the Area Development Partnership.
"The facility – which can produce enough energy to supply power to approximately 6,500 homes – features approximately 200,000 panels and is located on 450 acres in south Hattiesburg. At its peak, the project’s construction supported 350 jobs, many of which were filled by local labor and local subcontractors."
![Source: Silicon Ranch website]()
Source: Silicon Ranch Website
Mississippi residents have experienced the hottest summer to date in recorded history this year, and energy prices for residents in the Forrest/Lamar county area have increased significantly along with those heat waves. Mississippi Power customers and cooperatives alike have so far not seen any documented relief in the form of a noticable decrease in their monthly utility rates, despite the development of these solar farms in those areas.
The rates for utilities are regulated and passed down to customers at the state level by the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which currently consists of the Democratic candidate for governor, Brandon Presley, who is commissioner of the Northern District. The commission also features Brent Bailey as Central District Commissioner and Dane Maxwell as the Southern District Commissioner.
