Half-Billion-Dollar Solar Investment Could Boost Southeast Kansas Economy

MULBERRY, Kan. (KOAM) — Crawford County commissioners will soon consider the annexation of more than 1,600 acres near Mulberry, where a $500 million solar project from Shasta Power is being proposed. The facility would be one of the largest energy investments ever planned in southeast Kansas.

Property owners, including Rick Elnicki and Steve Kuplin, have agreed to lease their land for the development. Shasta Power says the project could bring hundreds of construction jobs, new tax revenue and long-term energy benefits to the region.

But not everyone supports it. Some residents who live near the proposed site worry about the loss of farmland and wildlife habitat.

“This particular farm is going to be surrounded by it,” said Danny Childers, who lives near the project area. “When I look out my window, I want to see the deer grazing and the eagles landing. It’s full of wildlife. They build this — where does that wildlife go?”

Childers is one of several residents who say the project could permanently change the landscape they’ve called home for generations.

Supporters, however, argue the land is better suited for solar than for farming.

“The economic benefit — I don’t think we’ve ever had one like this,” said Steve Kuplin, a Mulberry landowner leasing his property for the project. “This isn’t prime farm ground. It’s mined land that we run cattle on, and we can’t really raise good crops on most of it.”

Shasta Power on economic impact

According to Melissa Rhodes, who represents Shasta Power and the landowners, the company’s proposal includes $200 million in battery storage technology and would create between 200 and 250 construction jobs during an 18-month build phase, along with up to 10 permanent positions once operational.

Rhodes says the project could begin generating tax revenue for the city of Mulberry and local school districts as early as Jan. 1, if county commissioners approve the annexation. She adds that Shasta intends to work closely with local leaders to ensure the project benefits the entire community.

What happens next

The Mulberry City Council voted this week to annex the property, moving the project one step closer to reality. Still, opponents say they want more transparency as the process moves forward.

“There is no transparency,” Childers said. “There’s nothing being put out to us that says, ‘Hey, this is what’s going to happen.’”

Crawford County commissioners now have 30 days to respond to the city’s annexation request. If approved, construction could begin next year — marking a new chapter for land once mined for coal, now slated to produce clean energy.

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