The Louisiana Public Service Commission greenlit plans last week for a near-$300 million solar farm that would be owned and operated by Entergy in Iberville Parish.
The site, named Cypress Harvest Solar, would sit on roughly 1600 acres of former sugarcane fields about 5 miles southwest of Plaquemine, between Milly Plantation and Derick Road, near Belleview Drive.
It has the capacity to generate 200 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power about 30,000 Louisiana homes a year.
That electricity would be spread out across Entergy ratepayers statewide, and is part of the company’s goal to improve grid resiliency and diversify into renewable energy.
“Solar is one of the largest ways that Entergy is making clean energy accessible in our region,” Entergy representative Kristin Zatta told Iberville’s Parish Council during a meeting on Tuesday.
The project comes on the heels of another major energy infrastructure investment in the area. Magnolia Power Station, a $750 million power plant in Iberville, came online in February.
“All this is going to allow the region to continue to have investment,” said Parish President Chris Daigle.
If additional permitting, contracting and engineering procedures go according to plan, Entergy says it will break ground on the Cypress Harvest site in September of 2026, and plans to have it fully operational by September 2028. It would be the first and only solar farm in the parish.
The project will cost around $297 million, bring 201 jobs at the peak of construction, and four full-time jobs, according to Entergy. It is also estimated to bring in $7.8 million in sales tax revenue during construction and $2.9 million in annual property tax revenue.
Natural gas currently powers about 73% of Louisiana, according to District 3 Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis. Although the 200 megawatt facility won’t exactly move the needle for Louisiana’s energy portfolio, he said it is still a significant upgrade to the grid.
“It’s moving Louisiana forward in its diversification,” he said. “Bringing energy that could help us in times of natural disaster or peak demand.”
Just last year, plans for a 2,000 acre solar farm in White Castle were nixed after facing fierce opposition from local residents over fears the solar panels would undermine property values and tarnish the rural appeal of the community.
Florida-based NextEra Energy was behind the development of that project, and Entergy was expected to sign a 20-year contract to purchase power generated by the farm. Another solar farm in neighboring West Baton Rouge faced similar pushback years earlier.
District 12 Council member Matthew Jewell said the Cypress Harvest Solar project is different because the site is not easily visible from any major roads or communities. Because Entergy would own and operate the solar farm, he’s also confident representatives will be able to relay local concerns more easily.
“It’s a better fit for Iberville Parish,” he said. “It’s off the road a bit, and it’s not gonna affect the people in that area. We also felt like we could get a hold of Entergy much better than a third-party company.”
Jewell added the land Entergy purchased was owned by a pair of aging families — EJ Gay Planting and A. Wilbert’s Sons — who had farmed the acreage themselves, and did not lease to tenants.
“No leases were being terminated, no one was losing their jobs,” Zatta added.
Entergy’s lease from the private landowners has terms for up to 40 years. There is already a high-voltage substation on the property, and Entergy plans to build a battery storage system there.
“All Entergy Louisiana customers are going to benefit from this type of generation. It’s not something that can be directly benefited from those residents right there,” said Zatta.
Project Manager David Wilcox said construction will mostly be funded through contracts with larger industrial or commercial customers, who agree to purchase the power generated in exchange for the ability to claim credit for renewable power use.
Those contracts theoretically help defray the cost of construction being passed onto ratepayers, Wilcox said, though by how much is unclear. Jewell thinks customers might see a few extra cents on their energy bills in the near future.
“If I had to bet my right arm, they are going to add something to that bill,” he said.
Entergy will hold a public meeting to educate and receive feedback from Iberville residents about the project on Tuesday, April 28 at the Carl F. Grant Civic Center in Plaquemine from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
