A proposed 150-acre solar farm could bring renewable energy to thousands of homes in Effingham County.
According to a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) filing, the proposed site is currently a timber farm and could be under construction as early as 2027. The developer intends to connect to Georgia Power's existing grid. The project has not come before county commissioners at this time.
The proposed Effingham Burns Solar Farm would generate 27 megawatts of electricity at the site near Highway 119 and Little McCall Road.
Developer Inman Solar, headquartered in Atlanta, has projects in 12 states and in Washington D.C., according to its website.
"In the nearly two decades since,
we’ve grown into a region-leading turnkey EPC contractor and solar developer specializing in community solar and distributed generation installation," the company website states. "Our focus is the development, design, and construction of front-of-meter, utility interconnected DG and utility-scale solar projects."
The estimated value of the project is $25 million at full buildout. It could generate about $136,000 in annual tax revenue per year over the project's 30-year life and deliver $1.2 million during its first five years of operation, according to the DRI filing.
A spokesperson for Georgia Power said the project is not part of the utility's current power purchase agreement portfolio but that it does support solar projects.
"As part of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC)-approved IRP (Integrated Resource Plan) process, Georgia Power does regularly procure renewable energy from third-party developers through competitive distributed generation and utility scale solicitations," said Joshua Peacock, Georgia Power's external communications lead for Coastal Georgia. "While we cannot speak to this specific project, we support the development of solar projects that may participate in the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) process. These types of developments further Georgia Power’s commitment to providing our customers clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy for many years to come."
Inman Solar did not respond to a request for comment on the project.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Developer eyes new 150-acre solar farm project in Effingham County
