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Starr County designates reinvestment zone for battery storage project, OKs abatement negotiations
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Summary
Starr County commissioners approved a resolution April 27 to designate a reinvestment zone for a proposed Jariva Energy battery storage project near La Morita off FM 755, and authorized negotiations on a tax abatement. County staff said the project could total about $135 million, use roughly 40 acres and deliver an estimated 200 MW of storage.
Starr County commissioners on April 27 approved a resolution designating a reinvestment zone for a proposed Jariva Energy battery energy storage project in the La Morita area off FM 755 and authorized staff and the Industrial Foundation to negotiate a tax abatement.
County presenter Rosa introduced the project during a public hearing, saying, “This project, is expected to have about a $135,000,000 adjustment, with the development of about 40 acres.” Rosa said the facility is a battery-only storage installation with an expected capacity of “about 200 megawatts,” and that county staff estimate the installation could supply energy equivalent to roughly 13,000 homes for 24 hours or 160,000 homes for short peak periods.
Rosa told commissioners construction is expected to begin in 2027 with operations in 2028 and estimated 30–50 construction jobs on average, with a small number of permanent operations jobs afterward. On potential local tax effects, Rosa said the county could expect roughly $3 million to $3.5 million in additional county tax revenue over a typical 10-year abatement period and that roughly $12 million to $13 million could flow to the school district during that same timeframe.
During the hearing the judge and Rosa confirmed the site is about 40 acres located off FM 755, roughly one to two miles from 755 at Longwood and Douglas; Rosa said road upgrades and maintenance during construction were being discussed with company representatives. Rosa also noted company representatives were present to answer questions.
After the court returned from executive session, commissioners moved to adopt the resolution creating the reinvestment zone and authorized the Industrial Foundation to negotiate an abatement agreement and prepare a final abatement for the court’s approval based on executive-session terms. The motion passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition on the transcript.
The agenda and on-record statements refer to the project as the “Betsy Energy Storage” reinvestment zone; a transcript line later referred to a “basic energy storage” zone. The county record on the resolution adopted April 27 lists the site as in La Morita in the FM 755 corridor and describes the zone at roughly 40 acres. Company representatives were present at the hearing but did not speak at length on the record.
Next steps identified on the record: staff and the Industrial Foundation will finalize abatement terms and bring a final agreement back to commissioners for approval. The court did not provide a detailed abatement schedule or final payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) terms on the record.
