Cooperative Energy announced the industrial properties selected as finalists in the first round of the SiteInvest program. The property investment program was announced in September 2023 at the inaugural Economic Development Summit.
SiteInvest is designed to help improve readiness and enhance the development of industrial properties in Cooperative Energy’s Members’ territories. The program is a strategic initiative of the economic development team to better align Cooperative Competes grant funds with site development efforts. Both currently marketed industrial properties and newly identified industrial properties were invited to participate in the program.
Cooperative Energy welcomed applications from across the state in the first round of the program. These applications were reviewed by the economic development team, and 20 finalist sites were chosen to advance in the program. The finalist sites are currently under rigorous review by the program’s third-party engineering experts, Burns & McDonnell.
The 20 sites advancing in the program include:
- Mississippi River Energy Complex: Former International Paper Site – Adams County
- Mississippi River Energy Complex: Riva Ridge – Adams County
- Cleveland Municipal Airport – Bolivar County
- Eagle One Mega Site – Forrest and Lamar Counties
- Greene County Rail Site – Greene County
- Port Bienville Industrial Park Site #11 – Hancock County
- Port Bienville Industrial Park Site #4 – Hancock County
- Port Bienville Industrial Park Site #1 – Hancock County
- GST Site – Harrison County
- Helena Industrial Complex – Jackson County
- Jackson County Aviation Technology Park – Jackson County
- I-59 South Industrial Site – Jones County
- I-59 Supply Chain Park 40-acre site – Jones County
- I-59 Supply Chain Park 124-acre site – Jones County
- Marion Regional Airplex – Marion County
- Pearl River Technology Park – Pearl River County
- Gateway Industrial Park East – Pike County
- Gateway Industrial Park West – Pike County
- Lake Site – Scott County
- Rankin East Metro Center Parkway – Rankin County
“We were thrilled to receive at least one application for industrial properties within eight of our 11 Members’ service territories”, said Mitch Stringer, Cooperative Energy director of economic development. “Our goal for the program is to continuously and strategically invest in our communities to make them more competitive for recruitment of capital investment and job growth.”
Cooperative Energy Economic Development anticipates a second round of applications for the SiteInvest program later this year.
SiteInvest is designed upon a three-tier system with an initial application stage, followed by a formal Request for Information and analysis by third-party engineering experts to benchmark the site readiness and marketability of industrial sites. Properties within the program are then assigned a tier and provided action items to advance throughout the tiers and further the development and readiness of the property. The amount of available Cooperative Competes grant funds increases as industrial properties advance through the tiers of the program.
For more information about SiteInvest or the economic development efforts of Cooperative Energy, visit www.cooperativeenergy.com/economic-development
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About Cooperative Energy
Cooperative Energy generates and transmits electricity to 11 Member-owned electric distribution cooperatives. Known as the Power of 12, Cooperative Energy and its Member cooperatives work together to provide safe, reliable and affordable power from the Mississippi Delta to the Coast. The 11 electric cooperatives own and maintain more than 58,000 miles of distribution lines and provide service to more than one million Mississippians throughout 55 counties.