47.6

Risk Grade

Fair

Lake Charles industrial hub; complex grid boundary (Entergy Louisiana primary, SWEPCO overlap in northwest); LNG export terminals (Sabine Pass proximity, Cameron LNG) create industrial grid load competing with solar interconnection; flat terrain favorable; Police Jury pro-development; post-Hurricane Laura (2020) recovery adds insurance cost uncertainty; C-grade reflecting industrial grid complexity and overlapping utility territory

Assessment Snapshot

Population

203436

State Rank

#31

Compliance

44%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

200 ft from property lines; 500 ft from occupied structures; coordination with industrial operations required

Zoning Mechanism

Conditional Use Permit (CUP) — Calcasieu Parish Police Jury

Acreage Caps

No formal cap; industrial land competition limits available acreage in some zones

Spacing Rules

None established

Size Restrictions

Generally <100 MW; larger projects require EIS-adjacent review given industrial corridor

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Mixed-Supportive — pro-industry Police Jury; LNG terminal and petrochemical culture broadly welcoming of energy projects; grid interconnection complexity noted by developers

Basis for Assessment

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury; American Press (Lake Charles); SWEPCO/Entergy boundary data; LNG terminal EIS documents

Political Risk Factors

Stable-Mixed

Board Members

Calcasieu Parish President + Police Jury — calcasieuparish.net

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

MISO / Entergy Louisiana (primary); SPP / SWEPCO (NW overlap)

Utilities

Entergy Louisiana, Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO)

State Permitting Process

Parish zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); no mandatory decommissioning bond statewide (some parishes require it)

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; Louisiana sales tax exemption for solar equipment; Louisiana property tax exemption for solar; no state income tax credit for commercial solar

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Lake Charles-area solar projects (approx. 2 projects, 20-40 MW range, 2022-2024)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None confirmed

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Calcasieu Parish County, LA — Solar Development Risk Assessment