STOCKTON, Ala. (WALA) – Hundreds of residents from Mobile and Baldwin counties packed a town hall meeting Monday night to voice opposition to a solar farm approved for construction near the Tensaw River Delta wetlands.
The Alabama Public Service Commission approved the project in November, but many residents say they are only now learning about the plans. The meeting at the Stockton Civic Club building drew such a large crowd that organizers opened an outdoor overflow area with speakers.
“The public is curious, outraged and would like to understand, one, why this is happening down here, two, how is it going to benefit us if at all?” said Melissa Nichols, a community herbalist.
Many attendees said they were caught off guard by the approval.
“We were all totally blindsided by this,” said Erin Lewis.
Tanner Hammond, a local mushroom expert and businessman, said the news came as a shock. “It got sprung on us. Like I was just talking with people about AI and stuff like that and then literally the next day I after I told somebody, that pops up and I was like ‘oh’. I didn’t even know anything about it,” Hammond said.
The solar farm project in North Baldwin County would help power a Meta AI data center under construction more than 100 miles away in Montgomery. Officials say Meta is funding the project, and Silicon Ranch, a solar and carbon solutions company based in Nashville, will build the facility and sell electricity to Alabama Power.
Residents questioned how the project moved forward with limited public input and whether local leaders have power to stop it. Many speakers warned of potential environmental damage to the wetlands.
“We do care about these wetlands and we see the value in its vital and also fragile ecosystem,” one speaker said.
Lewis emphasized the environmental significance of the area. “The Delta is the Amazon of the United States so we want to do everything we can to protect it,” she said.
Alex Mizell said the community response shows residents are ready to take action. “I think that it’s time for the people to stand up and let people know, like this is how we feel,” Mizell said.
Silicon Ranch officials say construction is planned to begin sometime next year.
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