Solar Proponent Project Info

Dogwood Creek Solar, LLC is a subsidiary of Solar Proponent, LCC which is funded by their funders: EnCap Investments, Yorktown Partners, and Mercuria Energy. It was started in September 2021 with no active solar energy factors as of yet.  Solar Proponent has 7 planned solar energy factories across Texas.

Dogwood Creek Solar wants to build a 2,100 solar energy factory on mostly wooded land. It will require the clear cutting of about ⅔ of the land bisected by Little Sandy Creek, an area prone to flooding and that provides an ever-diminishing refuge for area wildlife. They are claiming to only create 1 permanent job and 250 construction jobs.

At the May 16, 2022 Elgin ISD Board meeting, the school board accepted the Ch 313 application, approved to work with financial consulting company Moak, Casey & Associates, and to work with Walsh, Gallegos, Trevino, Kyle and Robinson, PC as legal counsel.


Chapter 313 Application Summary
Dogwood Creek Solar, LLC Ch 313 Application to Elgin ISD

Solar Proponents paid a $100,000 application to Elgin ISD on April 14, 2022.  Their anticipated approval date of the contract is August 1, 2022 which means approval could happen at the July 18, 2022 Elgin ISD School Board meeting or some special-called meeting.  Construction is not projected to start until June 1, 2026 and tax abatements would not begin until January 1, 2028.  50% of the project is in Elgin ISD and the other 50% is in Bastrop ISD.  The company stated in the May 16th school board meeting that they would not be applying for a Ch 313 in Bastrop ISD because it was not financially worth it.

Anticipated investments on the property are $334,800,000. Tax abatements will be when the property has its highest market value meaning that the school district will miss out on the greatest access to tax revenue for the students, faculty and staff.

Elgin ISD states they are considering creating a Reinvestment Zone for this project.  According to Elgin ISD, Bastrop County does not plan to create this Reinvestment Zone.  Elgin ISD School Board will have to hold a hearing on this.

They are only committing to create 1 new permanent job from this project.  Normally, there would be a minimum of 10 job required for this project for the size of the community but they asked the school for a waiver of this minimum requirement.  They will create 250 temporary construction jobs.  Ch 313 was created to bring more jobs to Texas but this project doesn’t do that sufficiently.