The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) tapped Origis Energy to develop a 200 MW solar farm with 50 MW of battery storage in Clay County, Mississippi, on the state’s eastern side.
The project is being developed to support the city of Knoxville, Tennessee’s goals of having 20% its electricity demand met by renewables and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, compared with 2005 levels. The Knoxville Utility Board will buy the energy generated through a long term power purchase agreement, enabled by TVA’s Green Invest program.
Origis will develop, build, own, and operate the plant, which is set to employ three to five full-time operations and maintenance staff. Origis expects to complete the facility in late 2023, pending environmental reviews.
Because the project is so early in development, Origis has not yet released equipment supplier details.
TVA said that the PPA makes Knoxville the top city in the Southeast and one of the top cities in the nation for solar power investment.
The project represents a new level of solar development in Mississippi. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Mississippi has installed just under 320 MW of solar to date. The project will be one of the largest installed to date, surpassing Recurrent Energy’s upcoming 100 MW Sunflower project.
These aren’t the only large projects coming to the state, however. Last summer, regulators approved the Moonshot Solar project and the Cane Creek Solar project, each clocking in at 78.5 MW. All totaled, the four projects will account for a more than 100% increase in installed solar capacity, representing a cumulative 457 MW.
This article was updated on April 28 to correct a misspelling of the developer, Origis’s name.
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I think it’s pretty sloppy that a leading article spells the name of the company involved incorrectly throughout the entire article. Orgis? Look it up.
Thank you for spotting the error, which has been corrected.
Good. Glad to see at least some states in the south getting solar builds. Hopefully it escalates. I do find it odd that Knoxville is not building this in Tennessee – maybe it is easier to build solar in Mississippi. I would also have to say that 20% electricity from RE by 2050 is the definition of lacking in ambition.