NextEra scraps plan for Coastal Prairie Solar Project near Town of White Castle

NextEra energy scrapped plans last week for a solar farm in the White Castle area.

The Coastal Prairie Solar Project was ditched after opposition by local residents and several members of the Iberville Parish Council who attended the forum May 1.

“We want to keep the public informed regarding the Coastal Prairie Solar Project with NextEra Energy. NextEra Energy has notified us that they have chosen to withdraw their application for the proposed solar farm in White Castle,” Parish President Chris Daigle posted on social media. “This means the project will not be moving forward.

“We sincerely thank all residents who attended the community meeting in May and those who stayed engaged and informed throughout this process.”  

While NextEra decided not to formally apply for a solar permit, the company is seeking alternatives of other electrical savings, Daigle said. 

Nearly 100 residents pakced a meeting in May at the White Castle Community center to oppose the NextEra Coastal Prairie Solar project. The Flrodia power companty withdrew plans for the project last week.
In a May meeting covered only by Post/South, nearly 100 residents packed the White Castle Community Center for a forum in which the vast majority opposed the project. 

“Council members spoke loudly that they were going to support their community,” Daigle said. “I think that spoke volumes when the members of that project were there and they heard those council members speak.

“At the end of the day, Iberville is at the crossroads. We haven’t accepted any solar, but we haven’t denied any either.” 

Residents feared the Coastal Prairie Solar Project \would threaten the area’s agricultural industry and hurt quality of life in the town and surrounding areas.

The Jupiter. Florida-based energy provider that originally operated as Florida Power & Light touted 200 construction jobs, but less than a dozen full-time jobs.

The project had been on the NextEra drawing board two years. 

The plan drew strong opposition from the start. Numerous residents had spoken against the plan during a September 2023 forum in Plaquemine at the Carl F. Grant Civic Center. 

The Trump Administration has not eliminated tax credits for solar panels and other renewable energy, but it has taken steps to accelerate the scheduled phase-out of federal solar tax credits under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

President Trump issued an executive order to the Treasury Department to enforce the early termination of certain clean energy tax credits, and the administration is issuing guidance to strictly enforce the end of credits for wind and solar projects.