SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / MS / Wilkinson

Wilkinson County, MS — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

57.8
Risk Grade
Fair
Extreme poverty, grid weakness, no zoning framework, and county with virtually no administrative capacity combine to create one of the most challenging solar development environments in Mississippi.
Assessment Snapshot
Population
8,630
State Rank
#39
Compliance
72%
Trajectory
72

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
No county solar setbacks. No effective zoning framework to establish requirements.
Zoning Mechanism
Board of Supervisors discretionary authority only; no formal zoning code; any solar project requires direct Board vote with no established criteria.
Acreage Caps
None codified.
Density Caps
None codified.
Spacing Rules
None codified.
Size Restrictions
None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Non-functional for solar development. Extreme poverty; very sparse population; near-total absence of county governance capacity; grid is very weak in this isolated southwestern corridor.
Basis for Assessment
Extreme poverty; Democratic supervisors in majority-minority county; near-total absence of county governance capacity; no solar developer interest.
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
5-member Board of Supervisors; Democratic majority (majority-minority county); terms expire 2027.

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
MISO South / Entergy Mississippi transmission zone
Utilities
Entergy Mississippi, Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association (SMEPA)
State Permitting Process
No statewide solar siting law. Utility-scale solar regulated at county level by Board of Supervisors via discretionary zoning or conditional use permits. Counties retain full authority to approve, condition, or deny projects with no state preemption. MPSC oversees electric utilities; no formal solar siting review below 300 MW. FERC/MISO or SERC interconnection governs projects >20 MW.
State Incentives
No state RPS or SREC market. Solar equipment property tax exemption (Miss. Code Ann. §27-31-101). Net metering under MPSC Rule 29 (capped at 150% of 12-month avg usage; interconnection fee may apply). Federal ITC (30% under IRA 2022) is primary incentive. No state solar grant or loan programs.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
No confirmed utility-scale solar projects on record.
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
No confirmed denials on record.

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Last verified: 2026-04-03 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes