Calhoun County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

None codified.

By-right — no ordinance; active project approvals and community solar partnership.

Pro-solar — active project approvals; county-level solar infrastructure partnership.

Gulf Coast county; Port Lavaca county seat; Swift Current Energy's 260 MWdc Tres Bahias Solar serving Houston PPA; county partnered with EnGoPlanet for solar street lighting; R-majority board; industrial coastal economy familiar with large energy projects.

Improving

No state siting board for solar in Texas. PUCT regulates utilities; ERCOT manages interconnection for ERCOT service territory (most of state); SPP governs Panhandle/northwest TX. County Commissioners Court governs unincorporated areas under Texas Local Government Code. Many rural TX counties have NO zoning authority — solar is essentially by-right without county approval requirement. HB 2527 (2023) requires counties with solar ordinances to provide a 'reasonable' permitting framework. No statewide preemption prevents county restrictions. ERCOT interconnection queue is severely congested — grid study delays of 2-4+ years common.

Texas has no state RPS mandate. Key incentives: Federal ITC (30% base + bonus adders for energy communities/domestic content). Property tax abatement via Chapter 312/313 successor frameworks (county-level negotiation required). ERCOT wholesale market provides strong merchant revenue stack. No state income tax benefits developer HQ decisions. USDA REAP available for rural projects.

Tres Bahias Solar (260 MWdc, Swift Current Energy) — PPA with City of Houston; EnGoPlanet solar street lighting partnership (300+ fixtures across county).

None documented.