The Hill County Commissioners Court voted 3-1 to create reinvestment zones and propose the form of a tax abatement agreement for a $400 million Hubbard wind energy project in a meeting held Tuesday, January 23. The court heard from several residents who were against the project before voting, and Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb was the lone no vote on each proposal.
Designating the property as reinvestment zones will allow the county to enter into tax abatement agreements in the area. The court will not vote on a final tax abatement agreement until the proposed agreement is sent to other taxing entities in the county as required by law.
Three separate reinvestment zones totaling 19,400 acres were created for the project, although not all of the property included in the zone will be leased for development.
Hubbard Wind II, the second NextEra Energy Resources project in the southeastern portion of the county, will include up to 108 GE wind turbines capable of generating approximately 300 megawatts of energy.
The company says that together, the two phases of Hubbard Wind will provide an estimated $78 million in payments to Limestone and Hill County landowners over the 30 years of the project.
Construction is expected to begin in April 2026, with an estimated completion date in December 2026.
Seven Hill County residents spoke during the public hearing, telling the court that they were concerned about environmental and agricultural impacts, nuisance lights on the turbines, traffic impacts and other issues.
Bill Barnes said that wind turbines cause noise pollution, impact aesthetics of the landscape and threaten wildlife. He said that bats are a significant agricultural advantage to farmers and eat insects, and he believes that many are killed by wind turbines. Disposal of the blades is also a problem, he said, as they are not yet recyclable.
Robert Stevens told commissioners that he moved to a small property in Hill County and doesn’t like seeing the red lights as he drives towards Hubbard. “I would not want to live somewhere the lights are flashing all night long in my windows,” he said. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t happen to my property.”
Mike Dixon, the county’s economic development counsel, explained that the proposed agreement states that the turbines must have lighting, but they do not flash unless an aircraft is detected nearby.
Melissa Awtrey, who owns 95 acres in Brandon, said that she was unhappy about being on the list of properties in the reinvestment zone. She questioned how the project would impact taxes and agriculture and cause traffic issues on rural roadways used for moving farm equipment. “I’m not going to tell people they can’t have it, but I don’t want it,” she said.
John Blaha of Abbott challenged the idea that the projects are coming whether Hill County likes it or not. “You can set boundaries and fees,” he said. “You can make it too expensive and not worthwhile to do business in this county.” Blaha said that he believes the projects are about money and not green energy. “You’re going to turn our county into a stale, industrialized place that nobody is going to care about,” he said.
Amy Harsha, who owns close to 600 acres in Malone, told the court that she moved to Hill County due to the quality of life. “We love the country life and the people of Hill County,” she said. “These windmills would destroy that.”
Addressing some of the concerns, James Jowett of Hubbard Wind said that the company has conducted over four years of environmental studies and takes migratory patterns into consideration. If nesting birds were discovered, buffers would be used to avoid impacts.
In information released about the project, NextEra says that wind turbines pose less danger to birds than other common structures like buildings or roads when they are properly sited. The company also says that it monitors for potential wildlife impacts at each site throughout the life of the project.
Jowett also said that the company has to put up a bond with the state to address the cost of decommissioning a site when it is no longer in use.
NextEra will also have to put money in escrow with the county to address any damage to county roads, and a pre-construction survey will determine if any areas need to be improved prior to construction to handle the equipment. Jowett said that a road use agreement will also be in place with the Texas Department of Transportation for state roads in the area, with money set aside for any repairs that the state deems necessary after construction.
In other action, a tax abatement agreement was finalized for a smaller project — the Gransolar Eleven energy storage facility located southeast of Hillsboro in the Bynum Independent School District. The battery storage project will involve around 10 acres leased from one landowner, and the company is planning a $93.3 million investment. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and wrap up in 2026.
This investment qualifies Gransolar for a seven-year tax abatement that will start at 40% for the first three years of the agreement before dropping to 35% in the fourth year, 30% in the fifth year, 25% in the sixth year and 20% in the seventh year.
The contract includes a road use agreement and does not include any tax break on the FM Lateral portion of the county tax rate, which funds roads and bridges.
There were no public comments during a required public hearing on the Gransolar project, and the tax abatement was approved with Commissioner Holcomb the lone no vote.
The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, February 13, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse.
