GROVETON — Companies seeking to create a solar energy farm south of Groveton presented their plan to the Trinity County Commissioners Court on Dec. 9.
Steven Van Dyck of Cummings Westlake LLC, a tax consultant firm that assists companies with tax abatements for renewable energy projects, told the court his firm is sowing the seeds of a possible tax abatement.
Joshua Richardson of OCI Energy, a San Antonio company that develops renewable energy projects, said the proposal is going to be a 100-megawatt solar project about 4 miles south of Groveton, costing about $100 million or more, which would have a significant economic impact on the county.
When completed, the project would provide electricity for around 20,000 homes around the state, Richardson said. It will cover around 800 acres and have a 30-year life span with options to renew for an additional 20 years.
He also said OCI has a lease on the property, which was chosen because of the location of power lines that will allow them to connect to the main power grid.
After the 50-year lifespan, state law requires the company to remove the panels and return the land to its state prior to construction.
No action was taken, but the company will return at a later date to place a tax abatement request on the agenda.
In a separate matter, the court approved a contract with IT Enabled for outsourced IT support, as the county’s IT person has resigned.
The initial payment would be $11,600; those funds would allow the company to survey all county equipment to become familiar with the setup. After that, the contract would be $4,310 per month.
The work will start in January.
In other business, the county:
