This week Tulare Energy, LLC received unanimous approval of the Tulare Solar Project Conditional Use Permit. The approval concluded 4 months of County, Township and Landowner meetings. The approved Conditional Use Permit included 15 conditions that must be met by the Tulare Solar Project before Spink County will issue the construction building permit.
Roland Jurgens, project manager for Tulare Energy, LLC, updated the Board of Adjustments on the project and answered questions from the Members of the Board of Adjustments and County Staff. The project will continue to work with County Staff and Local Officials as the final plans are developed and approved before the project’s building permit is issued next year.
Bruce Blume, President of Tulare Energy, LLC, explained the economic impacts of the project to the Members of the Spink County Board of Adjustments. Blume said through local tax payments, guaranteed land payments, new jobs, and local purchases the Tulare Solar Project will create approximately 1 million dollars of new direct economic impact every year in Spink County.
He explained that in particular, the Tulare Solar project will generate approximately $72,000 in new tax revenue for Spink County each year, $30,000 in new tax revenue for Townships each year, and over $720,000 in new tax revenue for Tulare School District along with $2.3 million in new tax revenue for K-12 education in SD over 30 years.
Tulare Energy, LLC is a locally owned company that was formed to work on economic development through developing a solar project. Tulare Solar Project is Tulare Energy’s proposed solar and energy storage facility that will be located in Spink County. The facility is proposed to have a generating capacity of up to 60 megawatts and will occupy approximately 800 acres of privately owned land, going online in 2021.
(SDNA)