Construction is underway on a 200 million dollar solar project in Jackson County. On Tuesday community and company leaders celebrated the project that they say will provide clean energy and bring investments to the region.
Jackson county government and community leaders joined Arevon Energy for a ceremonial ground breaking of their Big Muddy Solar Project. Solar panels are being installed on 600 acres in Jackson County five miles north of Murphysboro on State Route 127.
When the project's completed at the end of 2026, Big Muddy Solar will have a total capacity of 124 megawatts - enough to power 24 thousand homes. Arevon CEO Kevin Smith explains what will happen when the project is generating electricity, "All of our projects are grid connected, so the electricity that's generated goes to the grid. Then we have power buyers that purchase the power."
Smith says they're investing 200 million dollars on the project. They He estimates using more than 250 workers to complete the build. It's expected to bring in nearly 13 million dollars of property tax payments over the next 30 years. Smith says it's part of their goal to invest in the community, "We are long-term owners and operators, so we'll be here for decades to come. So we want to make sure we come in with the right, on the right foot, and make sure that we're good neighbors and that we engage with the community."
Jackson County Board Chairman C. J. Calandro is glad to see this project get started. He expects Big Muddy to be a good partner for the county. And he says their investments in the project and community will provide support throughout Jackson County, "A lot of small school districts are always talking about closing. With a partnership with these guys, it's going to help them, it's going to help the county, it's going to bring money to the county, it's going to help everybody in the region."
Brian Chapman, Chairman of the Jackson Growth Alliance, says bringing projects like this to the county will help the county and region land future business opportunities. He says utilities are a major factor when businesses conduct site selection, "How much water do you have on site? How much electricity have you been in the area? What's your sewer look like, septic systems, as well as your internet? So to be able to power up 24,000 homes on this site, is a huge win for Jackson County and our ability to be attractive to potential site selectors."
In addition to the Big Muddy Solar project, Arevon is planning to begin construction on a solar project in Perry county in 2027 or 28.
