Frio County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

None codified.

No ordinance — by-right in unincorporated areas.

Strongly supportive — major operational project; Verizon as marquee counterparty; significant tax revenue realized.

Pearsall county seat; County Judge: Rochelle Lozano Camacho; R-majority; Karnes Electric Cooperative / South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC wholesale); Horizon Solar operational since 2023 with $30M tax revenue creating strong local precedent; South Texas solar irradiance excellent.

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.

Horizon Solar Farm (Leeward Renewable Energy) — 200 MW / 1,640 acres; OPERATIONAL since late 2023; near Pearsall; Verizon PPA; $30M+ projected county tax over project life; 400 construction jobs; 500,000 MWh/yr. 138 kV switching station connects to South Texas Electric Cooperative. Elara Solar — operating PV farm near Pearsall [TBV — capacity].

None documented.