EliteElectric said:

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armymom said:

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What is a "Camp Creek" residential style?

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Camp Creek is a small lake between Edge and New Baden with some lake houses on it

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A new construction Camp Creek style residential development would be a win! Following!

I don't really think gibbons creek sets up as a great residential lake like camp creek. Water goes down a lot and only maintained by pumping from the Navasota. The main lake part of the lake doesn't setup well for lake front houses. The damn is long on the south side, old plant stuff on the west side, and discharge canal on the north side.
I'm really curious what they are planning to do. I'd buy a lot if the price is right so that I can get boat ramp access.

Yes, curious to see what the site plan ends up looking like and if they propose anything to mitigate water level decreases. Interesting nonetheless.

Expert Analysis said:

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I don't really think gibbons creek sets up as a great residential lake like camp creek. Water goes down a lot and only maintained by pumping from the Navasota. The main lake part of the lake doesn't setup well for lake front houses. The damn is long on the south side, old plant stuff on the west side, and discharge canal on the north side.
I'm really curious what they are planning to do. I'd buy a lot if the price is right so that I can get boat ramp access.

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They are buying up adjacent parcels to the SE and plan to put in neighborhoods there. Not large lots as they appear to be jamming them together, not unlike some in town.

Who is developing it?

oklaunion said:

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Expert Analysis said:

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I don't really think gibbons creek sets up as a great residential lake like camp creek. Water goes down a lot and only maintained by pumping from the Navasota. The main lake part of the lake doesn't setup well for lake front houses. The damn is long on the south side, old plant stuff on the west side, and discharge canal on the north side.
I'm really curious what they are planning to do. I'd buy a lot if the price is right so that I can get boat ramp access.

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They are buying up adjacent parcels to the SE and plan to put in neighborhoods there. Not large lots as they appear to be jamming them together, not unlike some in town.

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Looks like you have seen a preliminary site plan - can you share?

I was a 3rd party accompanying a friend who was approached about their property and asked not to share specific info. I do believe from talking with another guy that the group is headed by KMC and their investors.

How much of the land will be used for the solar plant?

I figured it would be where the old power plant was. Distribution lines right there with a bunch of open area.
I don't recall the size if there was one mentioned.

Anyone know the latest on plans for development?

AgProgrammer said:

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The 11,000 acres that was the old TMPA mine recently sold (as a single tract) for $75 million. Buyer not yet officially identified but it was being heavily marketed for a very large solar project since the existing transmission lines from Gibbons power plant are accessible from the property. Those tie-ins to the transmission lines are in the Houston region of the grid.

There's also a TON of water surface rights (920 acres) and also access to both Gibbons Creek and 1.9 miles of the Navasota River. They were selling full mineral rights, wells, and water rights.

Gibbons Creek Lake is NOT part of that sale. They are still tearing down the old plant. There were some "rumors" a few years ago of the actual lake becoming a surface water source for BTU. With it no longer being a cooling lake for the coal plant, that becomes a possibility. There's also the possibility that a smaller natural gas plant gets built in place of the old coal plant. It's probably safe to assume though that BTU is holding ownership of the existing sub-station and transmission lines for a reason (hence large solar project and/or new gas plant theories).

I'm anxious to hear what's going to happen with the 11,000 acres. That's a giant tract of prime land.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/millennium-power-announces-acquisition-gibbons-230000324.html

Looks like a data center at the old plant site

Expert Analysis said:

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I figured it would be where the old power plant was. Distribution lines right there with a bunch of open area.
I don't recall the size if there was one mentioned.

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They'd need more than just the plant site. Would have to include part of the lignite fields. Typically at least 800 acres for a viable utility-scale solar site, and most likely more.

EliteElectric said:

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armymom said:

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What is a "Camp Creek" residential style?

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Camp Creek is a small lake between Edge and New Baden with some lake houses on itYe

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Yes, on the right side there are three entrances to CC. If you are looking at property there, do your research as some on the lake is not very deep.

treyyates said:

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AgProgrammer said:

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The 11,000 acres that was the old TMPA mine recently sold (as a single tract) for $75 million. Buyer not yet officially identified but it was being heavily marketed for a very large solar project since the existing transmission lines from Gibbons power plant are accessible from the property. Those tie-ins to the transmission lines are in the Houston region of the grid.

There's also a TON of water surface rights (920 acres) and also access to both Gibbons Creek and 1.9 miles of the Navasota River. They were selling full mineral rights, wells, and water rights.

Gibbons Creek Lake is NOT part of that sale. They are still tearing down the old plant. There were some "rumors" a few years ago of the actual lake becoming a surface water source for BTU. With it no longer being a cooling lake for the coal plant, that becomes a possibility. There's also the possibility that a smaller natural gas plant gets built in place of the old coal plant. It's probably safe to assume though that BTU is holding ownership of the existing sub-station and transmission lines for a reason (hence large solar project and/or new gas plant theories).

I'm anxious to hear what's going to happen with the 11,000 acres. That's a giant tract of prime land.

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If Gibbons Creek Lake is not part of the sale, can you still boat and swim on the lake?

Fascinating. I'm surprised I hadn't heard about this yet.

It looks to me like it's going to be a massive battery storage facility, which isn't shocking since the distribution substation to the Houston ERCOT grid is right there. Atlas Power looks to specialize in data centers for crypto mining and blockchain compute...aka lots and lots of power needed.

I always assumed that the big picture plan for the 11,000 acres of the old mine would end up being a massive solar farm, battery storage next to the lake at the distribution station, and then using the actual lake for water rights reselling.

No, the lake itself is privately owned now. It hasn't been open to the public in a few years now. There's an investment group headed out of North Zulch that owns the actual lake and all of the shore land around it. A commodity investment group out of Houston bought the 11,000 acres of the old mine (across Highway 30 and by 244) but there hasn't been any official information about the plans for it.

There is a solar farm just north of the lake that still has room to grow.

Blue Jay Solar Plus Storage

BMo said:

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There is a solar farm just north of the lake that still has room to grow.

Blue Jay Solar Plus Storage

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I believe there's an expansion in the works. I worked on the first phase

There is and it ties into that distribution station right next to Gibbons by the old plant. There probably isn't a "better" scenario for a large scale battery storage facility location than right there. Right where lots of solar is already being produced, connected to another 11,000 acres that's probably going to be solar, and at the location of a very large distribution tie-in to the Houston market.

AgProgrammer said:

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There is and it ties into that distribution station right next to Gibbons by the old plant. There probably isn't a "better" scenario for a large scale battery storage facility location than right there. Right where lots of solar is already being produced, connected to another 11,000 acres that's probably going to be solar, and at the location of a very large distribution tie-in to the Houston market.

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Transmission, not distribution. Just FYI

Also, per ERCOT, Blue Jay II has the same POI and the first phase. It's a BEC station north of the project, not Gibbons. No generator has applied for interconnection at the Gibbons switchyard (batteries included). There is an unrelated solar project just north of there that is interconnecting at the 138kV Keith Switch.

so who is the developer and is there any news on when lots/acreage on the lake might become available?

Better question is how empty the lake is going to be when Navasota river authority tells them your access was dependent the plant and we are never opening the valve again until the plant returns.

UmustBKidding said:

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Better question is how empty the lake is going to be when Navasota river authority tells them your access was dependent the plant and we are never opening the valve again until the plant returns.

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surely the investors/developers, who I thought were building a solar farm and developing lake house communities and ranchettes, had some sort of guarantee that the lake would have water in it.

The existing solar guys are not the guys developers of the real estate. The existing solar is not on the gibbons property at all and its interconnect is not to the gibbons switch yard.
The real estate guys had made an application to the river authority but I have seen not any response about it being granted. With the water shortage what it is today and the reason the authorities exist there is justification to provide water to what will be a pure recreational lake.

thanks. who are the developers? any public info on their plans?

This is one of the old threads that I brought up the water issue https://texags.com/forums/35/topics/3292011
The owners are still cloaked as gibbons development partners. Looking at more recent activity on brazos river authority and TCEQ it looks like they have chosen to try to impound water and sell releases to DOW downstream as the entity to justify the diversion. There were multiple potential users of their impound listed in some of the brazos publication and a study in 2025 that will include lots of options including expanding the size of gibbons.

DOW?

https://www.tceq.texas.gov/downloads/permitting/water-rights/pending/notice/gibbons-tract-l-lp-12-5311c-noticepkg.pdf

EBrazosAg said:

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DOW?

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Dow Chemical owns a good chunk of the Brazos River System's water rights.

Any news on the Gibbons Creek development?

I heard boats on the lake the other morning.

Have to imagine the fishing could be amazing after all this time with little to no pressure and adjustment to regular water temps. Used to fish there a lot. Would love to try it again.