Four solar power plants are in the works in the Camden area.
Ouachita County, the City of Camden, Ouachita County Medical Center and Camden Water Utilities have formed a public-private partnership to build four solar power plants., with Scenic Hill Solar developing the project. On Thursday, Nov. 5, the organizations hosted a groundbreaking at the Ouachita County Detention Center.
These power plants are expected to provide 3.467 megawatts of capacity and generate more than 5 million kilowatt-hours per year.
Scenic Hill Solar will be building and operating the solar facilities on land leased from Ouachita County and land owned by Scenic Hill Solar. The solar company will also own the power plants and will sell all of the four organizations power under a 20-year Energy Services Agreement.
“We are honored to partner with these four organizations to reduce their spending on electricity and achieve sustainability goals. With these power plants Camden and Ouachita County will become the first city and county combination in Arkansas to utilize 100 percent solar electricity for all their governmental operations. Solar power plants for Camden Water Utilities and Ouachita County Medical Center will similarly provide significant budget savings and environmental benefits. As economic uncertainty continues throughout Arkansas and America, this project will bring jobs and economic activity to Camden and Ouachita County. We are proud to provide over $6 million of investment into Camden and Ouachita County,” Scenic Hill Solar CEO Bill Halter said in a statement.
According to Scenic Hill Solar, the power plants will generate 5.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year of operation and 156 million kilowatt-hours over the course of 30 years. The solar arrays are expected to provide 100 percent of the electricity for the City of Camden’s and Ouachita County’s governmental operation.
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