Hattiesburg, Miss. (January 04, 2024) – Governor Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) recently awarded nearly $17 million in site development grants to further develop “Select” industrial sites throughout the state. “Select Sites” are nominated by Cooperative Energy and evaluated by a third-party site selection consultant with coordination by MDA. The “Select Site” designation means the industrial area is most marketable and has niche offerings like rail services, port access, or significant land size. Industrial properties served by Cooperative Energy’s Members in Forrest, Jones, Marion, and Hancock counties were among the latest recipients of the “Select Sites” funding. Together, sites within Cooperative Energy’s Members’ service territories received nearly $4.5 in state grant support.
The I-59 Supply Chain Park in Jones County and jointly represented by the City of Hattiesburg/Forrest County was awarded $2,340,924.19 to construct a secondary access road into the industrial park. The I-59 Supply Chain Park is surplus land owned by the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport Authority marketed for industrial use. The park is home to Notrax, Flowers Foods, Ashley Furniture distribution center, and most recently, FedEx Ground. The park currently has a 124-acre primary site available as well as a 20-acre site and a 40-acre site. The I-59 Supply Chain Park, and surrounding area, is served by Dixie Electric.
A $450,000 grant was awarded to the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission for a wastewater capacity study and pre-engineering to increase wastewater capacity at the Port Bienville Industrial Park. Port Bienville is a heavy industrial park boasting rail service and barge access. Current tenants include SABIC, Alpek Polyster USA, Calgon Carbon, Jindal Tubular, and more. Prime available parcels range from 45-acres to 475-acres. Port Bienville Industrial Park is served by Coast Electric.
The Eagle One Mega Site received $360,000 to identify conceptual treatment and disposal technologies to increase wastewater capacity. The 2,200-acre mega site is located just outside of the Hattiesburg city limits and jointly within Forrest and Lamar counties. The industrial site is served by Pearl River Valley Electric.
An $881,350 grant was awarded to the Jones County Economic Development Alliance for site development of the I-59 South Industrial Site, along Interstate 59. Funds will be used to extend an all-weather access road and clear and grub additional acreage. Over 200-acres of the industrial site is served by Dixie Electric.
The Marion County Airplex/IndustryPlex received a grant of $420,000 to complete remaining site due diligence and a master plan of the 2,000-acre site. Pearl River Valley Electric serves most of the industrial area.
In 2017, the state Legislature created the Mississippi Site Development Program to assist public or private non-profit economic development organizations or local governments with preparing site-ready locations to attract new industry and private capital investment to the state.
Properties within Cooperative Energy’s Members’ service territories have received more than $26 million in Mississippi Site Development Program grants since the program’s inception.
Cooperative Energy, together with the 11 Member distribution cooperatives it serves, often provides a portion of the local match funds required for the MDA program via the Cooperative Competes program. Additionally, all five industrial sites are finalist sites in Cooperative Energy’s SiteInvest program. The industrial properties are currently under rigorous review by Burns & McDonnell, and additional SiteInvest announcements will be in early 2024.
Visit www.cooperativeenergy.com/economic-development for more information on these industrial sites, Cooperative Competes, or SiteInvest.
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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.