MS Solar 7 plans to bring solar electric generating to Clay County

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The newest “crop” coming out of the Prairie will be feeding the area’s energy needs.

A 2,000-acre site in Clay County will soon be home to a solar electric generating and storage facility.

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley signed the order approving its construction and operation in a ceremony today.

MS Solar 7 is in the design phase now, but when it goes online, it will have a potential output of 200 megawatts of electricity.

That is enough to power over 45,000 homes and businesses. The $200 million project will also have a 50-megawatt storage facility to store electricity for delivery to the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“We are seeing this as a strategy for Mississippi for economic development to make sure that Mississippians have access to these jobs and this investment. This is going to reap thousands of dollars in benefits to taxpayers in Clay County, and create hundreds of construction jobs at this facility,” said Brandon Presley, Northern District Public Service Commissioner.

Along with those construction jobs, MS Solar 7 will also produce three to five permanent jobs.

Construction should start in the middle of next year.

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