Commissioners designate Cold Creek Solar reinvestment zone; abatement hearing set for March 11

Tom Green County Commissioners Court voted Feb. 11 to approve an order designating the Tom Green County Cold Creek Solar Reinvestment Zone Number 1, clearing the way for a tax abatement hearing on March 11, 2025.

The court record and staff presentation said most of the project lies in neighboring Slicker County, with a small portion encroaching into Tom Green County. County staff described the area inside Tom Green as roughly 1,100 acres in Precinct 4 and said the overall project capacity would be about 40 megawatts, with an estimated project cost of about $120,000,000 and construction beginning in 2027.

Whitney Rubin, a project representative with Doral Renewables, told the court the construction-job estimate included in staff remarks was conservative. "Construction jobs could be anywhere from 50 up to 300," Rubin said, adding the company now has the project substation in Tom Green County and may rent space locally if operations and maintenance are not on-site.

The commissioners approved the designation by voice vote after a brief public comment period and scheduled a Chapter 312 tax abatement hearing for March 11, 2025 in the Commissioners Courtroom. The court did not adopt any abatement terms at the Feb. 11 session; the March hearing will be the forum for formal abatement requests and public comment.

What’s next: the abatement hearing on March 11 will provide details on any requested tax exemptions and will be the county’s formal opportunity to accept public comment and set abatement conditions or offsets.

Provenance: topicintro: SEG 497; topfinish: SEG 574