$175M solar project proposed in Scott County

A 2,000-acre tract of farmland in northern Scott County could soon be home to a $175 million solar farm producing at least 200 megawatts of renewable energy.

Although it has reportedly been in development for several years, word of the Kelso Solar Project didn't become public until last week when a pair of energy companies issued a news release about it.

If it becomes reality, the Kelso Solar Project will be located along Interstate 55 near Blodgett on acreage already under voluntary lease with the affected property owners.

The project is a joint venture of Arevon, a clean energy infrastructure affiliate of Swiss-based Capital Dynamics, and Tenaska. Arevon is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, while Tenaska is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

"The demand for solar is growing, and we are excited to bring this project to Scott County, Arevon CEO Justin Johnson said. "Solar fields are quiet neighbors that provide significant economic benefits with very little burden on services."

Pending necessary approvals, construction could begin in 2022 or 2023, according to the news release. The solar farm will take about a year to build, meaning it would become operational by 2024, and it would have a projected lifespan of about 35 years.

Sikeston, Missouri, attorney Frank Marshall, who grew up near Blodgett, has been hired as the project's local representative.

"I became involved around the first of the year," Marshall told the Southeast Missourian. "I was contacted by the developers who wondered if I would be willing to serve locally to address and inform people locally about the project, including anyone would be affected directly or indirectly."

Marshall said he has been working behind the scenes on the project for several months, meeting with Scott County officials and other project stakeholders.

Their response has been good," he said. "We haven't had a whole lot of contact with folks yet because it (the project) was not public, but people who know about it are very enthusiastic."

Economic benefits

One reason they're enthusiastic is the potential economic benefit the project will generate in Scott County and the surrounding area.

A study conducted by Strategic Economic Research LLC, in collaboration with economics professor David Loomis at Illinois State University, estimated the Kelso Solar Project will result in:

• Nearly 240 full-time equivalent direct and indirect construction jobs, including 82 in Scott County.
• Ten full-time direct and indirect operations jobs during the 35-year project life, including eight permanent positions in Scott County.
• A contribution of $10.6 million to Scott County's gross domestic product (GDP) during the project's construction with an additional $1.1 million addition to the county's GDP each year during the solar farm's operational period.
• Expenditures on payroll, goods and services of nearly $22.5 million during construction and approximately $640,000 annually over the next 35 years.
• Estimated tax revenue of $9.4 million, including $6.6 million to local schools, over its lifetime.

Those estimates are based on a 200-megawatt project, although it has the potential to grow to 350 megawatts.

"Of course, if it becomes any larger than 200 megawatts, those (economic) benefits would increase," Marshall said.

Power for thousands of homes

Two-hundred megawatts of solar energy is enough to power the average electricity consumption of about 35,000 homes annually.

The entire project remains dependent on approval from appropriate regulatory agencies as well as the project's ability to sell the power it generates.

"They (Arevon and Tenaska) have been working on approvals and permits for some time, including the interconnection permits for transmission lines," Marshall said. "It's reached a point that they've become confident it will come to fruition. The fact that they've gone public with it shows that progress is being made."

The Kelso Solar Project has set up an office at 219 N. Hawkins St. in Sikeston. Office hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays, 8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays or by appointment.

More information about the project is available at kelsosolar.com.

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