Plaquemines Parish County, LA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

55
Risk Grade
Fair
Extreme southeast Louisiana coastal parish; Pointe-a-la-Hache seat; Entergy Louisiana and Plaquemines Electric Cooperative MISO grid; Mississippi River delta with extensive marsh, water, and oil/gas infrastructure; very limited viable inland land (most parish is water or marsh); severe hurricane exposure (direct hits from Katrina, Ida) elevating trajectory and uncertainty scores; coastal land loss accelerating; oil/gas-dominated culture broadly accepts energy development but climate risk trajectory worsening; C-grade reflects meaningful viable land deficit, high hurricane uncertainty, and worsening coastal trajectory
Assessment Snapshot
Population
22143
State Rank
#38
Compliance
45%
Trajectory
48

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
200 ft from property lines; 300 ft from occupied structures; Louisiana Coastal Zone Management Act compliance required; wind load engineering (ASCE 7-22 Exposure D) for coastal portions
Zoning Mechanism
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) — Plaquemines Parish Government; Coastal Zone Management Act review required
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Neutral — oil/gas identity dominates; limited solar precedent; coastal risks acknowledged but not politically prominent; economic development interest tempered by infrastructure vulnerability
Basis for Assessment
Plaquemines Parish Government; Plaquemines Gazette; Entergy Louisiana; Plaquemines Electric Cooperative; LDNR Coastal Management Division; FEMA NFIP
Political Risk Factors
Worsening
Board Members
Plaquemines Parish President + Parish Council — plaqueminesparish.com

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
MISO / Entergy Louisiana
Utilities
Entergy Louisiana, Plaquemines Electric Cooperative
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
None known
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None known

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