County tables solar farm abatement

Young County Commissioners on Feb. 24 held a public hearing for residents on the proposed Tapaderos Solar Farm. which is requesting a tax abatement from the county.

Several residents whose land abuts the proposed solar farm site spoke at the meeting, expressing concern that the panels or lithium batteries could start fires, cause a loss in property values or scare away wildlife and game, and that traffic during construction could damage county roads.

The commissioners tabled the company’s request for a tax abatement but agreed to continue the conversation. They asked for a copy of the completed environmental impact report. “All we ask is that we continue moving forward,” Robert Pena, a consultant for owner Titus Low Carbon Ventures, told the Commissioners.

The proposed solar farm will be located west of Eliasville, on 2,200 acres that Titus LCV has leased. The project will add approximately $1.5 million in taxable value to the County’s tax rolls and Titus would pay about $387,000 per year under current tax rates, Mr. Pena, president of Texas Energy Consultants, told the Commissioners.

The company is asking for a 10-year tax abatement, which will hold the payments at a flat rate. The payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, would begin in fiscal 2026 if the County approves the abatement plan.

The company anticipates that it will employ 150 people during peak construction, which will begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 if it can obtain clearance from ERCOT and state and federal environmental agencies on schedule, he said. The company expects construction to take one year, he said.

The solar panel farm has a life expectancy of 40 to 50 years, he said. The company asked for the abatement “to remain competitive,” as it expects other energy providers to be attracted to the area because of the power lines that run from West Texas through Young County to the Metroplex, where many tech companies are moving, Mr. Pena said.

Titus would like to sell its solar energy to a large data center that is in preliminary talks with County officials, or other largescale customers, he said. The company will not seek an abatement from the Graham hospital or the Graham or Woodson school taxing districts, he said.

Mr. Pena said the company would look into helping the Eliasville and Murray Volunteer Fire Departments with equipment and training, adding that the project’s lithium batteries would be housed in a trailer-type building that contains a fire-suppression system and a cooling system. He said the company uses inverters and transformers similar to systems that already exist in the area. In a windstorm or tornadic conditions, the operators can position the panels to avoid wind resistance, he said.

The company also is legally required to work with the Texas Department of Transportation on a plan to maintain local roads. “If there is use of county roads we will reimburse or pay up front,” he said.

Landowner Arvin Johnson said he opposes the project because of the wildfire risk, potential noise from the cooling fans and the impact on wildlife. Mr. Pena said the equipment will be positioned on 1,400 acres in the center of the leased acreage and will be hidden from view by a natural buffer.

“I would encourage the commissioners to table or turn down the abatement until we know what it’s going to do to our part of the county,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr. Pena said the developers will create pathways through the land for wildlife and could engage local 4H and conservationists to build additional habitat for quail, doves, foxes and other wildlife in the non-developed area. He also said the solar panels are non-reflective to absorb more light and to be “noninvasive” to aircraft, insects and birds.

Mr. Pena said the company conducts yearly appraisals at its sites and has “not seen a drop in land prices” in neighboring properties. The solar farm owners also will carry a fire insurance policy and a bond to insure the site will be returned to its previous condition if they abandon it, Mr. Pena said.

Precinct 3 Commissioners Alan Craig said the project won’t directly affect Olney but could bring needed revenue for road and bridge projects.

“The County needs to be funded in any way it can,” he said. “Is it better ... to give them a tax abatement, or do we say, ‘No tax abatement,’ and they go away and we don’t get anything?”

“I don’t know that, I don’t have enough information yet.”