BEE COUNTY, Texas — A Danish company is busy building a huge wind and solar farm in northern Bee County.
The Orsted company from Denmark is building 66 wind turbines in northern Bee County. They stand 500 feet tall and the project's code name is 'Helena'. Bee County Commissioner Dennis DeWitt said that while the County did give other surrounding wind farm operators a tax break, they didn't do that for the international company.
"What they will tell you upfront. Well if you don't give us a tax abatement we're not going to come in," DeWitt said. "We said 'fine we think you will' and they did. Because on top of a local tax abatement, they're also getting a 30% federal tax abatement. They're getting a kilowatt hour subsidy from the federal government, and if they're from overseas they're getting a European carbon tax credit."
The company also agreed to limit the light pollution coming from the turbines at night. Nearby residents didn't want to have to constantly see the bright red warning lights that are installed on the turbines so they can warn pilots at night.
"They agreed to set up radar on that equipment, so it would only come on if aircraft were in the area," DeWitt said.
The wind farm should be completely operational by May 1.
Located on the same site along FM 673 four miles north of Mineral is the company's Sparta solar farm project. The company said it will eventually install one million solar panels by the end of the year to capture the hot Texas Sun. In nearby Pawnee, The Pawnee Pitstop General Manager, Andreas Coronado said his business really picked up when those two projects began.
"When that started breaking ground, that's when we recognized the change sales going up almost 200%," Coronado said.
The 200% increase in business may be going up even more. That's because outside of the small community is where there's been a steady increase in drilling activity. Fueled by the rise in the price of oil. Companies such as Houston-based Nabors drilling and Conoco are now looking for oil and gas in this area. Northern Bee County is part of the Eagle Ford Shale formation.
"If it holds above $100, I look for probably about a 30% increase, 20%-30% increase, in the amount of ad valorem taxes coming to Bee County," DeWitt said. "And that will help all the taxpayers because we possibly may be able to lower our tax rate."
DeWitt added that he has heard that even more companies are looking to come to northern Bee County to drill for oil and gas. He's hoping that it turns into a full-blown oil boom. Bringing in more taxes and higher paying jobs as a way to try and balance out the rising prices at the pump that we're all paying.
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