Ground was broken Wednesday on a second substantial solar farm in Henderson County—the Sebree Solar Energy Center in the Robards area.
State and local leaders, along with landowners and solar company officials, were on hand for the groundbreaking, according to a release from NextEra Energy Resources, of which Sebree Solar is a subsidiary.
Also taking part were officials from Nucor Corporation, a steel and steel products company which has entered into a purchase agreement with NextEra Energy Resources.
The solar energy center will be constructed using low embodied carbon steel from Nucor divisions in the region, including Nucor Steel Gallatin in Ghent, Kentucky, said the release.
“This project is a great demonstration of the important role steel plays in supporting our country’s energy transition and the American jobs created by investing in green energy solutions,” said Greg Murphy, executive vice president of business services and general counsel at Nucor Corporation.
The release states that construction of the facility is expected to create up to 250 local jobs.
“The Sebree Solar Energy Center will not only generate low-cost, homegrown energy but it is also expected to provide millions of dollars in additional tax revenue to Henderson County over the life of the project,” said Kevin Gildea, vice president of development at NextEra Energy Resources.
Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, state Senate President Robert Stivers and Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider all attended.
“This project will produce revenue, renewable energy and jobs of the future for the region,” Coleman said.
Said Stivers, “With the increasing pressures on our finite energy grid, generating energy from all sources is important for maintaining our energy demands.”
“With this project, Henderson County is quickly becoming an ‘all of the above’ energy producer that will eventually provide hundreds of megawatts of power to customers around the Commonwealth and the Midwest,” Schneider said. “How many counties in the entire United States are building solar farms and a new coal mine (or two different types of generation) at the same time? In addition, not only will the increased local tax revenue from the Sebree Solar project help our schools, but they will also help Henderson County hold the line on any tax increases for our citizens in the future.”
