EDP Renewables Inaugurates Pearl River Solar Park in Mississippi

Scott County, Mississippi, July 10, 2024   — EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), a leading renewable energy developer and a top five renewable energy owner and operator in the United States, celebrates the inauguration of Pearl River Solar Park (Pearl River) in Scott County, Mississippi. Located in the northwest corner of the county, Pearl River has an installed capacity of 210 MWp (175 MWac), producing enough power to meet the energy needs of more than 27,000 average Mississippi homes. The project is comprised of 400,000 monofacial and bifacial tracking photovoltaic panels contributing clean, cost-competitive power to the state’s electric grid. It also marks EDPR NA’s official entry into Mississippi.

Pearl River will provide more than $50 million in payments to local governments throughout its operating life, benefiting schools, healthcare facilities, fire departments, and other county services. Pearl River created hundreds of construction jobs and two permanent jobs to provide for the facility’s upkeep.

This project will directly support Mississippi’s sustainability efforts by saving the state more than 222 million gallons of water each year and displacing carbon emissions from fossil fuel generation. In addition, Pearl River will continue to invest in the Scott County community through several environmental-focused initiatives. According to market data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the project is the largest solar park to date in Mississippi. 

Pearl River’s development team has participated in the Pearl River Clean Sweep for two years in a row, supporting the annual clean-up of the Pearl River watershed. This past year, they helped remove approximately 400 pounds of trash collected from the river in a bid to help revitalize Mississippi’s natural landscape. In February, the Pearl River team participated in an interactive career fair for fifth-graders from Highland Elementary in Ridgeland, meeting with more than 200 students to discuss careers in renewables.

This past July, Pearl River sponsored the U.S. Rep. G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Bass Classic fishing competition, benefitting the Catch-A-Dream Foundation on the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The Catch-A-Dream Foundation is a Make-A-Wish-type organization that offers special outdoor adventures to youth with life-threatening conditions.

"Pearl River Solar Park is an important part of the state’s growing clean energy portfolio, and we are proud to have them in Scott County, contributing to the economic development of the region.  Furthermore, the EDPR NA team continues to demonstrate their commitment to fostering high-impact community relationships,” said former Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Brent Bailey.

"We are thrilled to finally see Pearl River begin operations. Solar power is a win-win in Mississippi, as it accelerates the deployment of clean energy to the grid and contributes to the state’s decarbonization objectives. The project will immediately go to work to provide Mississippi with a readily available clean energy resource," stated Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDPR NA. 

Pearl River establishes EDPR NA’s relationship with Mississippi communities and deepens its ties with the state. A second project under development, Ragsdale Solar Park (Ragsdale) in Canton, Mississippi, will provide over $36 million to local governments and $15 million to landowners over the course of its lifespan once it becomes operational. Ragsdale will generate 100 MW of energy, equivalent to the consumption of 15,000 average Mississippi homes. It created over 100 construction jobs and will create 3 permanent jobs once operational. 

About EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA)
EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 61 wind farms, 15 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 10,600 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 9,600 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent.  

For more information, visit www.edpr.com/north-america and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About EDP Renewables 
EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in renewable energy development with a presence in 28 regions in Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific. With headquarters in Madrid and leading regional offices in Houston, São Paulo and Singapore, EDPR has a sound development portfolio of top-level assets and market-leading operating capacity in renewable energies. Particularly worthy of note are onshore wind, distributed and large-scale solar, offshore wind (OW - through a 50/50 joint venture), and technologies to complement renewables such as storage and green hydrogen. 

EDPR's employee-centered policies have received recognition such as Top Workplace 2023 in the USA, Top Employer 2023 in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Portugal and Poland) Colombia and Brazil, and are also included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. 

EDPR is a division of EDP (Euronext: EDP), a leader in the energy transition with a focus on decarbonization. Besides its strong presence in renewables (with EDPR and hydro operations), EDP has an integrated utility presence in Portugal, Spain and Brazil including electricity networks, client solutions and energy management. 

EDP – EDPR’s main shareholder – has been listed on the Dow Jones Index for 16 consecutive years, recently being named the most sustainable electricity company on the Index. 
 

Media contact

Tom Weirich 
EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) 
E: thomas.weirich@edp.com