Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corporation says its $100 million solar energy facility won’t bring permanent jobs to Lauderdale County, but the community will certainly see benefits.

“Solar plants are low maintenance, but it doesn’t mean they’re no maintenance,” said Silicon Ranch chief marketing officer Matt Beasley. “We probably won’t have a full-time staff… But we’ll have a couple of people on call to dispatch if it’s underperforming.”

The 52.5-megawatt plant, which will be located six miles southwest of Naval Air Station Meridian, is expected to be up and running by December 2019

In the meantime, the project will bring between 300 and 400 temporary construction jobs to the area once construction begins sometime during the fourth quarter of next year, Beasley said.

Additionally, the majority of the land used for the facility will be leased from the Lauderdale School Board, creating a source of revenue for the district.

“We’ve acquired more property than we’re probably going to need to build the project,” said Beasley of the site. “The majority of it will be leased from the board. It actually will benefit the school district directly.”

This project is not a part of the 6-megawatt solar plant at NAS Meridian, but it will “help support the Navy’s objective of strengthening grid resiliency and reliability,” according to a Mississippi Power Co., press release.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a certificate of public convenience and necessity, allowing for the construction and operation of the facility. Mississippi Power, will be Silicon Ranch’s sole customer per the 25-year power purchase agreement.

The plant will have 570,000 photovoltaic solar panels generating enough electricity to power about 8,000 homes. According to Tony Smith, renewable projects manager for Mississippi Power Co., energy generated at the facility will be added to the power grid, and “from there it will go wherever the demand is.”

A slight rate increase is expected for the first few years, but that amount will go down over the 25-year period.

“Once that energy is on the grid, that puts downward pressure on rates for all Mississippi Power customers,” Smith said.

The Lauderdale County facility will increase Mississippi Power’s solar capacity to 160 megawatts. It will be the fourth solar energy plant in the service area.

“Mississippi Power will receive all energy and associated renewable energy credits produced by these facilities, which it may use to serve customers with solar energy or sell to third parties for the benefit of customers,” the release said.