In recent years, the conversation around renewable energy has grown louder and more urgent. Today, JDA’s Natural Resources division adds a strong new voice to the discussion, bringing renewable energy to South Carolina while generating long-term value for the company.
An outgrowth of the Johnson family’s long-held passion for land conservation and wildlife management, the Natural Resources division was launched to pursue the development of solar farms and mitigation banks while also managing the Johnson family’s robust portfolio of timberland holdings.
Mark Wesson, who has managed the Johnsons’ timberland portfolio for many years and now serves as President of the Natural Resources division, says, “In evaluating the highest and best use of our land holdings, the team was able to think entrepreneurially and evolve our strategy to find better ways to create value for both our business and our state.”
JDA will develop solar farms on specific tracts of land in its portfolio in locations where timberland holdings and utility infrastructure intersect. These utility-scale solar developments generate clean energy, which providers such as Duke Energy, Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy will purchase from JDA. This clean energy will then be routed through the energy provider’s grid and sold back to consumers.
JDA’s solar developments could range from small-scale, 2-megawatt solar projects on multiple land tracts to larger utility-scale, 75-megawatt projects. As a frame of reference, one megawatt (1,000 kilowatts) will roughly generate enough electricity to power around 150 homes.
Today, the Natural Resources division has 30 projects in its pipeline which upon completion will generate a combined 715 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power up to 107,250 households at peak power. The division was just awarded a 20 megawatt project in Spartanburg County by Duke Energy, marking its first live project.
JDA and OTO have always approached development with sustainability in mind, and the creation of a Natural Resources division within JDA directly aligns with The Johnson Group’s overall mission to create value for our company and our community.