Jackson County School District partners with solar developer
Down the line, the Jackson County School District will lease its 16th section land to a solar farm developer, making up for the income lost on the impending closure of the Plant Daniel coal unit.
As the deal is in the works, the district isn’t yet releasing the name of the large Southeastern U.S. developer.
Mississippi Power’s Plant Daniel, which generates an annual $6 million in tax revenue for the district, will go offline in 2027, so the district is getting ahead of that shortfall.
The utility-scale solar farm would bring in Ad Valorem revenue of about $1.5 million in the first year. Jackson County School District Superintendent John Strycker said, “No one can argue it’s good for the environment, that it’s good, clean energy. So that’s an advantage, in the big picture. But I won’t deny the fact that when I have 6 million less revenue in the next 6 years, it’s my job to start seeking ways to replace that revenue. So, for me, I won’t deny it — yes it helps the environment, but we’re looking at that money as well. It just makes good practical sense. Like we’re looking also at electric buses, and the savings there is tremendous as well.”
That $6 million equals about 90 teaching jobs in the district.
