WYNNE — Members of the Cross County Quorum Court were updated on two alternative energy projects in the county during their regular monthly meeting last night.
Representatives from solar energy company Silicon Ranch and wind turbine company Cordelio Power provided updates to the board on their respective projects.
Hanna Nordin of Silicon Ranch said the company’s current project in Cherry Valley is at mechanical completion. That means the company has virtually completed construction of its solar panels in the Cherry Valley area and they are now awaiting Entergy Arkansas to bring it online.
While the company is waiting to bring the Cherry Valley project online, Nordin said they have been working with their corporate partner, Microsoft, to expand opportunities through its community impact fund. They have also partnered with local schools and ASU-Newport to provide STEM training to teachers. Nordin said about 14 area teachers received the training in January.
Wade Wilson, a project developer for Silicon Ranch, then provided information on two other projects — one in the Wynne area referred to as the Cross project and the other in the Parkin area or the Parkin project. Wilson said both of those projects would be identical to the current Cherry Valley project, and if approved, would be completed by the end of 2027. Both projects are currently in a survey phase with Entergy as well as examining the environmental impact.
“They updated us on two projects that are in the works now. One of them is just west of Parkin and one of them is just north of Wynne,” said Cross County Judge Lynn Blake. “I know the area they’re talking about, but I don’t know the exact location [of the Cross project]. I just know it’s between Wynne and Vanndale off of Highway 1.
“The one at Parkin, it’s west of Parkin. Actually, you have to go through the City of Parkin, and we called it the Loopleg Farm when I was growing up over there,” he added. “It was pretty much where the old river bridge crossed before they put the one that’s out on 64 now back down in there. You have to drive back there to see that one they’re putting in.”
The windmill project would also be in the Parkin area.
“It’s the Village Creek windmill project, which is an off-spur of the Crosswind Project that was done here on this side of the ridge. It’s a project over towards around Parkin on the east side of the county. Quite a few more windmills, scattered over a bigger area,” Judge Blake said. “You have to have some road use agreement, decommission agreements, and all that in place. Vince (County Attorney Vince Guest) has been working on that. Vince is needing some more information from them to get all that how we would like it to be. That was the discussion of that where he is at on that. If everything works out in the next two or three years, it will probably be some more windmills going up east of the ridge.”
It’s a Cordelio Power project, which completed a windmill project east of Wynne late last year.
Officials with Cordelio said they would work with Guest to have justices’ questions answered prior to their April meeting.

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