Wichita County Commissioners Court voted 5-0 on Feb. 21 to create Reinvestment Zone No. 1 for a proposed utility-scale solar and battery storage project developed by Nymphaea Solar LLC.

County Judge Johnson opened a public hearing on the project, and developers and local officials spoke before the court acted to authorize the county judge to sign a resolution creating the reinvestment zone.

The developers’ team, which included Evan Horn of Ernst & Young and Cameron Labac of Samsung, described the project as a large-scale photovoltaic facility with battery energy storage. "This is a utility-scale solar and battery energy storage project," Horn said, adding that developers estimate the solar component at about 20 megawatts and the storage at about 60 megawatts, with the storage duration still under consideration. Developers told the court the installation footprint would be on the order of hundreds of acres — their comments variously referenced "about a thousand acres" and "right around 800 acres" — and that peak investment in improvements could be roughly $190 million to $200 million.

Horn told the court that creating the reinvestment zone is the first step in a two-step local process that makes improvements within the zone eligible for local tax abatement; it does not guarantee any tax abatement. "If approved, it doesn't guarantee that this project receives a property tax abatement," Horn said. He also told the court developers expect to start construction in early 2027 with commercial operations possible in mid-2028, and that, if construction begins after Jan. 1, 2027, taxing jurisdictions would first see a tax-year impact in 2028 with full value on the rolls the following year.

City of Burkburnett officials urged more local coordination. Lindsay McNabb Fox, assistant city manager, read a letter from the city attorney saying the project involves "substantial properties, almost 700 acres," and asking to be included in all discussions and for the county and developer to understand the city intends to apply its subdivision regulations and planning requirements. The city also asked that its letter be included in the public-hearing record.

A representative of Burkburnett Independent School District told the court the district learned of the project only days earlier and said the district will need depreciation and valuation information to assess effects on local tax rates and state aid. "We've had 0 communication. So, the first thing we got was a letter 2 3 or 4 days ago about this," the superintendent said.

Developers said they had performed coordinated studies and outreach as part of diligence. Horn said the team completed a glint-and-glare study and a bird‑strike review and provided a memorandum from Shepherd Air Force Base indicating the base saw no operational issues. He also said developers met with local fire officials and the city to discuss emergency response and possible water-line extensions near the site. On decommissioning, a developer said state law requires removal of project improvements if a facility shuts down (the team said that process would include removing concrete and returning the site to prior condition).

Commissioners and staff asked about access and local road impacts; developers said project access would use state highways rather than county roads, reducing expected county road impacts. The court also discussed agricultural rollback taxes; Horn said rollback taxes would be the project's responsibility under the lease structure and would be payable by the project if the use converts ag valuation to commercial.

The court voted on a resolution creating Reinvestment Zone No. 1 with Nymphaea Solar LLC. Commissioner Fincannon moved to authorize the county judge to sign the resolution; Commissioner Beauchamp seconded. The motion carried 5-0.

Next steps outlined by presenters and the court: creating the zone does not bind the county to any abatement; a separate tax-abatement agreement would require later negotiation and a subsequent vote by the commissioners. Developers said further site surveys and coordination with the city and the air force base would continue before and during permitting.