Scurry County designates reinvestment zone for proposed 280‑MW solar and battery project after public hearing

Scurry County commissioners on Tuesday opened a public hearing and moved to designate roughly 2,636 acres in the county's southeast as the 2025 Ina Del Reinvestment Zone No. 2 for a proposed Solvent Imaging solar and battery-storage project.

Lloyd Drain, the project's representative, told the court the development would include about 280 megawatts of solar and battery storage and that the company has roughly 1,650 acres under contract in the area. Drain described the investment as substantial — "a little less than half $1,000,000,000" — and said the company is working to secure power‑purchase agreements and pilot payments tied to megawatts.

The public hearing drew several landowners. Miss Campbell, a landowner who said she owns 18 acres inside the proposed zone, told the court she has received only one offer and described living "30 yards" from the proposed panels as untenable: "It's not okay for me to live in the middle of that," she said. Her comments prompted a pledge from Drain and county counsel to reopen communications with her and her representative to seek feasible options, including the limited possibility of relocation assistance, but no guarantee was made.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the legal and procedural limits of the current step: designating a reinvestment zone does not itself approve any tax abatement. County Judge (Speaker 2) noted that any abatement would require a separate public hearing published at least 30 days before a vote. The court authorized publication of notice to other taxing entities and set a tentative date for the abatement public hearing in January.

Officials also discussed ancillary issues raised by residents: the county and project representatives agreed to coordinate with TxDOT on road‑use agreements and with landowners on reclamation protections. Drain said the company includes reclamation language and bonding in its contracts and that, under Texas law, professional engineering estimates and bonds are typical to fund future reclamation. Commissioners asked the company to provide additional information about road impacts and reclamation guarantees before any abatement consideration.

The court closed the hearing at 10:41 a.m. and approved a motion to designate the land as the 2025 Ina Del Reinvestment Zone No. 2 and to accept the tax payment application from Solvent Imaging, authorizing publication of notices and scheduling the abatement hearing.

The next procedural step is the abatement public hearing, which must be publicly noticed at least 30 days in advance; commissioners discussed a January date for that hearing and asked staff to circulate a formal notice and supporting documents.