STOCKTON, Ala. (WALA) – Baldwin County Commission Chairman Jeb Ball spoke publicly about a new solar farm planned near Stockton that will provide power to a new Meta data center south of Montgomery.
The news shocked neighbors, who quickly voiced concerns about the project.
Stagecoach Café in historic Stockton is a microcosm of north Baldwin County. It’s not just a country restaurant. It’s a gathering point. And FOR the last few days, everyone’s talking about silicon ranch and the massive solar farm planned for their backyard.
Joyce Overstreet, owner of Stagecoach Café in historic Stockton, said she initially heard about Alabama Power installing solar panels before learning about Meta’s involvement.
“I had heard rumblings about a possible Alabama Power putting in a few solar panels and then, lo and behold, somebody says, did you know Meta is putting in a farm?” Overstreet said.
News of a 4,500-acre land purchase surfaced last week. The site is at the northeast quadrant of Interstate 65 and Alabama 59. Residents were caught by surprise. Concerned over potential environmental damage and other unknowns, they quickly banded together, spreading the word through a Facebook page that gained more than 2,000 members in 24 hours.
Laura Lane with the “Stop Solar in Stockton” group expressed concerns about the area’s environmental significance.
“A lot of us have family history in the area that goes back over 200 years and we know that this is basically the heartbeat of the delta here. Anything that happens to damage the wetlands, the protected species that we know in that area is going to have a long-term effect down the line,” Lane said.
Lane has organized a public meeting at the Stockton Civic Club for Monday at 6:30 p.m. to get answers to residents’ questions.
Baldwin County Commission Chairman Jeb Ball, the District 1 representative, said the county commission was also caught off guard by the news.
“This all goes back to the Alabama Public Service Commission and their…they don’t have to have any contact with us as far as when things like this happen, so in a nutshell we haven’t received anything from this company, application-wise or land purchase,” Ball said.
The company building the solar farm is Nashville-based Silicon Ranch. A company spokesperson said the solar fields will take up about 2,000 of the total acreage. The additional 2,500 acres may encompass wetlands or otherwise environmentally sensitive areas.
Ball said he spent Thursday speaking with concerned citizens and Silicon Ranch officials.
“I encouraged Silicon Ranch to come to Baldwin County and host a town hall so residents can hear directly from the company, ask questions and address both concerns and misinformation surrounding their project. Silicon Ranch officials agreed to do so,” Ball said.
There is no set day or time for that town hall yet.
Organizers of Monday night’s event say they expect a big crowd from folks all over Mobile and Baldwin counties. They’ll have overflow seating and hope to have monitors outside so everybody can hear.
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