VIDALIA, La. — Another company is eyeing Concordia Parish land for its solar farm project.

At a public hearing during the regular meeting of the Concordia Parish Police Jury last week, representatives of Azimuth Renewables LLC based in St. Louis, Missouri, described its proposed Barite Solar project that would cover approximately 150 acres, possibly located northeast of Ferriday.

“We are excited for the positive impact our project will bring to Concordia Parish,” said Mike Koehler, Vice President of Azimuth Renewables.

Engineer Keith Capdepon said he’d been working with Azimuth Renewables to ensure the project meets the specifications of the Police Jury’s solar ordinance adopted in 2023, citing a few “technical issues” that needed to be worked out.

Some of these minor issues include the need for Concordia Parish Office of Homeland Security to inspect the farm layout, a traffic remediation plan, and a drainage study.

Azimuth Renewables, LLC has also obtained a floodplain permit with the parish.

Concordia Parish Tax Assessor Jeannie Archer asked if the company was entering into a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement.

Koehler said paperwork for the program had been submitted to the Concordia Economic and Industrial Development District.

In July, officials announced another $250 million solar project had been finalized with Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources. The company’s Bullitt Bend Solar project would include 2,000 of leased land Parish off of Louisiana Highway 900 and have a capacity of up to 200 megawatts.

An agreement with the Concordia Economic and Industrial Development District and Bullitt Bend Solar outlines annual payments in lieu of taxes and provides for total acquisition and project costs.

The agreement states payments in lieu of taxes will be calculated at 20 percent of what the ad valorem taxes would have been and how the fair market value is assessed.