Mississippi grants consent to 52.5-MW solar project

The Mississippi Public Service Commission has given its nod to a 52.5-MW solar project in Lauderdale county proposed by local utility Mississippi Power and a unit of solar project developer Silicon Ranch Corp.

The certificate of public convenience and necessity was granted with unanimous support, Mississippi Power said on Thursday.

The USD-100-million (EUR 85.2m) photovoltaic (PV) park will be constructed by Silicon Ranch’s unit SR Meridian III, which will also be its owner and operator. To be powered by nearly 570,000 panels, the plant is expected to produce electricity for about 8,000 households per year. It is slated to become operational by December 2019.

Mississippi Power will buy the generated electricity under a 25-year off-take contract, thus lifting the solar production capacity in its portfolio to 160 MW. The utility recently dedicated a 52-MW solar project in Sumrall in partnership with DE Shaw Renewables Investments and expects in the coming weeks to launch a 50-MW facility in Hattiesburg together with Silicon Ranch and the Area Development Partnership.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.852)

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