Central Point, Ore. — A California-based company is eyeing Central Point for the first solar farm in Jackson County. The hope is to kick-start an emerging industry in the Rogue Valley and transition more customers to clean energy.
The Jackson County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the project which would place a solar farm on the 5800 block of McLoughlin Drive in Central Point.
“I think we have conducive weather,” Kelly Madding, Director of Development Services says, “this isn’t the first company who has come to us to talk to us about an application and explore solar energy production in Southern Oregon so I do think we are going to see more of these.”
According to Cypress Creek Renewables, the company behind the proposal, the 44-acre facility would generate about 9.5 megawatts, or enough electricity to power 2,000 homes a year.
The next hearing will be April 6th at 1:30pm before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. If all goes well Cypress Creek says the project could be up and running by the end of 2016 or the beginning of next year.
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