• Duke Energy is investing $521 million in the Bailey Mill Renewable Energy Center in Jefferson County.
• Local leaders are working to keep citizens informed.
• Watch the video to hear neighbors concerns.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

A new solar project is coming to Jefferson County, but it may mean less money in your wallet.

“Whoo, farms are expensive, y’all.”

I’m Lentheus Chaney in Waukeenah, talking with neighbors about how Duke Energy’s new solar site in Waukeenah and rate hike could hit home.

The new site, called the Bailey Mill Renewable Energy Center, will be built just off Highway 27 North—about a mile from the Trulieve cannabis facility. Duke’s $521 million investment is part of a settlement approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, intended to address concerns from consumer advocates and regulators.

The deal is part of a bigger plan to make energy more reliable, cut carbon emissions, and keep customer costs steady over time. By adding more solar power, the company hopes to offer cleaner energy while keeping it affordable.

Still, customers will see base rates rise by more than $730 million through 2027.

Neighbor Amanda Cable owns Mini Moo Alpaca Two Farm. She says she heard about a solar plant planned for the county but didn’t realize it would be so close to her farm.

“Really not looking forward to the news of our electrical bill possibly going up if a solar plant is going to be built in the area. I don’t know. I was hoping that it would go down, being that it’s right up the street. I had no idea that it was gonna be raising our electrical bills more,” Cable said.

Duke Energy says it’s building four new renewable energy plants across Florida, including sites in Madison, Sumter, Hernando, and Jefferson counties.

I reached out to two Duke Energy representatives for an interview, but they declined and instead pointed me to a news release that states, “Solar energy is an innovative, cost-effective, and clean solution we continue to implement on behalf of our customers all across the Sunshine State.”

Jefferson County Commission Chairman Austin Hosford says the planning commission will review Duke Energy’s application for the new plant in May, before it moves on to the full commission for a vote.

“Just want to keep the citizens of the county informed and updated on what’s going on and encourage them to have their voices heard,” Hosford said.

Cable says running a farm isn’t cheap, and with the price of grain and hay climbing, it’s getting even tougher.

“They should be going down. I feel like the last four years we’ve had so many high grocery bills, eggs, everything going up, up, up, up, gas. I feel like now we should be kind of going down. Got a new administration in and government in. Just hoping for, you know, a little break,” Cable said.

Cable says her husband had to return to work after a short retirement because of rising costs, and now, higher energy bills will stretch their finances even more. In Jefferson County, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.

Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.

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