Author: Geoff Pendre Published 2/24/2021 Mississippi Today
Lawmakers said Wednesday that a $250 million wind farm is planned for Tunica County.
Two major renewable energy projects are planned for Mississippi, including the state’s first wind-power farm.
Lawmakers said Wednesday that a $250-million wind farm is planned for Tunica County and a $140-million to $160-million solar farm for Chickasaw County. The state Senate approved allowing the local counties to provide tax breaks for the projects.
The Tunica project, Tunica Wind Power LLC, would be the state’s first wind farm, state Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley said. The Chickasaw solar farm would be that area’s third one, and several others are operating across the state.
With recent wind-power debate from widespread power outages in Texas, Presley pointed out that the projects would only sell power wholesale to the Tennessee Valley Authority or nationally, not directly to any customers. Presley said the Tunica project has applied for PSC approval, but the Chickasaw solar project has not.
“(The wind farm) will have 100 wind turbines on 13,000 acres in Tunica, be a 200-megawatt facility, able to power at max capacity 7,000 homes,” Presley said.
“In light of what we’ve seen in Texas, we will be asking them about their winterization efforts,” Presley said.
Presley said he knows few details about the Chickasaw County solar project. Lawmakers provided few specific details about the projects on Wednesday before the Senate approved the tax breaks.