If all goes well, ground-breaking for a solar energy farm east of Big Spring will occur by the end of the year.Friday morning, officials with RRE Big Spring Solar LLC signed a 120-day option to purchase approximately 300 acres off Midway Road. The land, owned by the Big Spring Economic Development Corp., will be sold for 85,000. 

Helios, Big Spring Solar's parent company, intends to construct a 30-megawatt solar energy facility on the site over the course of the next two years, said Angelos Angelou, site selection consultant for the company.  “This will represent a $120 million capital investment on the company's part,” Angelou said. “We've worked with many governmental agencies over the years … but (Howard County), the Coahoma school district and (BSEDC) have been phenomenal to work for. We're very excited by the speed in which the entities have worked with us to make this possible.”
 

Preliminary steps the company must make before constructing the facility include working with state energy officials to
make sure adequate power transmission capacity exists in the area, as well as conducting environmental impact studies to
satisfy federal regulations.
 

Once that work is complete, Angelo said company officials are hoping to begin site preparation in either October or
November. Work on the 300-acre site would take between one and two years and employ up to 200 workers during the
construction phase and between four and five people once the facility is up and running.
 

If additional property can be obtained, the company has tentative plans to double the site's energy generating capacity in
the future, Angelou added.  In addition, the company will work with both Howard College and Coahoma ISD in developing demonstration labs at no cost and helping to train students in solar energy technology.
 

“We're very much looking forward to being a partner to the community,” Angelou said.  Officials tout solar power as a much more dependable source of “green” electricity than wind.“Solar power is not as undependable as wind energy,” he said. “The benefits will be phenomenal.”
 

County and local officials are enthusiastic about the project.  “As far as the county in concerned, this is not going to be a major source of tax income,” Howard County Judge Mark Barr said. “But for Coahoma ISD and Howard College, this is a very big deal. With this being a new industry … this is something we need and something we can hopefully build on. On the whole, it's good for the county.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at reporter@bigspringherald.com