Jim Wells County approves tax break for Orange Grove solar project

Jim Wells County commissioners approved Enbridge Solar Orange Grove LLC’s compliance with its tax-abatement deal on July 10, but they did not hand over the benefit outright. The resolution tied the relief to a verification step, requiring the Jim Wells County Appraisal District to confirm that construction occurred inside the reinvestment zone before the company can receive the tax treatment.

Orange Grove Solar, commissioned in 2025, is Enbridge’s first solar project in Texas. The facility has a 130-megawatt installation with about 300,000 panels across more than 920 acres in Jim Wells County, about 45 miles west of Corpus Christi. AT&T signed a long-term virtual power purchase agreement for the project’s output.

Texas Comptroller Chapter 313 filings trace the case back to Orange Grove Independent School District No. 1607, first filed in 2021 by Talitha Energy Project LLC and later identified as Enbridge Solar (Orange Grove), LLC, formerly Talitha Energy Project, LLC. The comptroller posted the original application in 2021, then the agreement and findings in 2022, followed by later amended materials after execution.

A Chapter 313 annual eligibility report listed the limitation amount at $20 million. In the amended packet, the tax-limitation period was pushed back from Jan. 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2036, and the final supplemental payment schedule was extended to Dec. 31, 2038. The revised materials also increased planned solar capacity by 1 megawatt and battery energy storage by 21 megawatts.