Silicon Ranch Corporation will invest $75 million to fund two new solar plants in Hazlehurst and Snipesville, Georgia, both of which are scheduled to come online before the end of next year.
The utility-scale facilities are part of a portfolio of projects announced in 2017 by Silicon Ranch and Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs). Combined, the new projects will generate more than 100 MW and expand Silicon Ranch’s presence in Jeff Davis County, where it already owns and operates two solar projects totaling 72MWAC in Hazlehurst. As a result of its previous investments, Silicon Ranch already stands among the largest taxpayers in Jeff Davis County, and its new projects will contribute significant additional tax revenues for the local community for years to come.
Silicon Ranch announced that it will soon commence construction on the first of its two projects and that McCarthy Building Companies will EPC. McCarthy has constructed several of Silicon Ranch’s solar facilities across the country, including its 52-MWAC array in Hazlehurst.
Supporting growth in the clean energy job sector, McCarthy is hiring upwards of 180 local workers for the nine-month construction project. McCarthy will provide local workers with on-site training in pile driving, tracker assembly, and panel installation by implementing principles of Training Within Industry (TWI), a program originally developed by the U.S. Department of War in the 1940s to help re-train workers quickly and reliably on moderately complex tasks. Through its TWI solar program, McCarthy applies its “Learn. Perform. Repeat.” methodology and offers highly effective and efficient training to workers who have little or no experience in solar installations.
“More than 30 EMCs will share in the energy produced by these two new facilities, and we are grateful for the support from our members and for the partnership we have developed with Silicon Ranch,” said Green Power EMC President Jeff Pratt. “We are proud that in addition to providing our members with reliable, affordable, renewable energy, our work can further support economic development in Jeff Davis County.”
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