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by Brad Gunther
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (NBC 15) — As opposition grows over a massive solar farm planned near Stockton, Baldwin County commissioners have approved a contract with a third-party engineering firm to review the project — even as county officials say they have not yet received a formal development application.
During Thursday’s commission meeting, the county’s planning and zoning director clarified the county’s current position on the proposed 260-megawatt solar facility slated for roughly 4,500 acres north of Interstate 65 and east of Highway 59.
“I'm sure everyone is aware of the solar farm project in the north part of the county,” Jay Dickson, told commissioners. “Just to clarify, we still, today, don't have any applications and have not received any information about it in any way. But — understanding it is in the works and is going through some state agencies, we're working on getting our team put together to understand how we can properly manage the development of something of this scale through our regulations.”
The project, being developed by Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, would generate electricity to help power Meta’s new data center under construction south of Montgomery. According to NBC 15 reporting, the Alabama Public Service Commission approved Alabama Power’s long-term agreement to purchase energy from the solar development late last year.
However, many Stockton residents say they were caught off guard by the project’s scale and potential impact. Community members have voiced concerns about wetlands, wildlife habitat, and the rural character of the area, which lies near the environmentally sensitive Mobile-Tensaw Delta. A grassroots group, “Stop Solar in Stockton,” has formed online as opposition intensifies.
To prepare for the project’s potential local permitting review, commissioners approved a $54,340 contract with Jacobs Engineering Group for professional engineering and environmental services.
According to the Scope of Service document, Jacobs will conduct a comprehensive review of engineering and environmental considerations tied to the development. That includes:
“We do like to bring in third party engineering firms with expertise to help — another set of eyes on the project — to make sure we're meeting all the regulations, meeting all the things we can regulate as far as the quality of construction and those types of things”, Dickson told commissioners.
Jacobs representative Scott Jernigan told commissioners the firm would bring specialized support from its Pensacola office..
“We'll be supporting you primarily out of Pensacola where we have specialists that kind of specialize in water and wastewater treatment, environmental wetlands, threatened and endangered species, and then storm water modeling and storm water treatment. We have a design group familiar with similar projects.”
The firm will also assist with reviewing and categorizing public comments and participate in four public workshops.
County officials stressed that while the project has received state-level approvals related to power purchasing agreements, local permitting review has not yet begun because no formal application has been submitted to Baldwin County.
If and when an application is filed, Jacobs’ review will focus on compliance with the county’s Land Disturbance Ordinance for flood-prone areas and other applicable development regulations.
Silicon Ranch has previously stated that although it is purchasing approximately 4,500 acres, less than 2,000 acres would ultimately be developed with solar arrays.
For now, the debate continues — with residents calling for transparency and environmental protections, county leaders preparing for technical review, and developers moving forward with a project that could reshape a large portion of north Baldwin County’s landscape
2026 Sinclair, Inc.

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