EDP Renewables is planning a $200 million solar project in Blytheville.
The company took the next step in the project Tuesday night when getting approval from the Blytheville Planning Commission, which allowed conditional use for power generation on the Riverland Plantation property on East Highway 18 and to rezone the property from Residential-4 to Industrial-1.
EDP plans to install solar panels and infrastructure on 1,800 acres — 328 acres are in the Blytheville city limits — with construction set to begin at the end of 2022 or early 2023.
EDP development project manager Syed Rizvi anticipates construction will be completed around March 2024.
He said the construction process will create 300 temporary jobs and once completed there will be three full-time jobs created.
Rizvi said the project will generate $25 million in tax revenue, with an estimated $5.5 million going to the Blytheville School District.
To whom will the company provide energy?
“We’re almost close to announcing that, but it could be either private customer like a Walmart or Exxon,” Rizvi said. “It could be Entergy or Mississippi County, but most likely it would be a private customer. We will publicly announce that.”
“100 percent of the energy goes to Entergy customers, it’s just Walmart or someone like a private customer, they just pay us within a financial contract,” he added. “They give us a long-term contract called a PPA. We would sell the energy on the market and we would give that money directly to them and we would just get what they promised us within the contract. All the physical electricity goes to Entergy customers.”
The project is expected to have a lifespan of 30-35 years, according to Rizvi.
However, he said, at its end of life, per its lease on the land and covered by a bond, the company is obligated to return the property to its current state for agricultural purposes. Responding to a question, Rizvi said studies have shown there will be no issues with glare from the panels, which have a reflective coating. He said the solar panels will be around 200 feet off the highway, adding a buffer.