Hinds County’s board of supervisors has narrowly approved a controversial solar farm to be constructed right outside of Mississippi’s capital city.
In a 3-2 vote on Monday, supervisors gave the green light for Charlottesville, Va.-based Apex Clean Energy to build a roughly 6,000-acre solar facility in the Bolton and Raymond areas despite outcries from members of the community.
Proponents of the solar farm, also known as the Soul City Solar project, argue that it will benefit the region by powering approximately 95,000 homes with clean electricity. Meanwhile, dissenters of the project claim that the solar farm would potentially lessen property values and could have detrimental effects on wildlife populations in the area.
Qualms from residents aside, supervisors decided to move forward with the project due to its projected upside.
In addition to powering a large number of homes with clean electricity, ApexClean Energy has pledged to deliver:
- A capital investment of more than $700 million
- More than 400 construction jobs and significant local spending during construction
- Up to 10 full-time local operations and maintenance jobs for the project’s 30+ year lifespan
- Up to $150 million in new, long-term tax revenue for Hinds County and local schools over the solar project’s lifetime
- Existing high-voltage power lines limit the need for new infrastructure
Hinds County officials expect the solar farm, which will be the largest in state history, to be up and running by the end of the calendar year in 2027 with construction anticipated to begin sometime in 2026.
