Mississippi seeks $93M from solar plant

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s state auditor is formally demanding that a failed solar-panel maker pay nearly $93 million that he says is owed to state and local governments, a prelude to a possible lawsuit. Auditor Stacey Pickering demanded repayment in a letter he delivered Tuesday to Stion Corp., which closed its Hattiesburg plant last year. The Republican said it’s the largest amount he’s ever demanded to be repaid. Stion is the latest in a series of failed green-energy companies that received loans and incentives from the state. Mississippi taxpayers have lost more than $185 million from those ventures, all entered into by former Gov. Haley Barbour’s administration. The San Jose, Calif., company borrowed $74.8 million from Mississippi, failed to pay $2.1 million in reduced property taxes to Hattiesburg and Forrest County, and owes $16 million in interest on the state loan and propertytax payments, according to Pickering’s calculations. The demand letter means Stion has 30 days to repay or face a civil lawsuit. A quick repayment appears unlikely, though. Stion closed its plant in December, blaming unfair foreign competition and laying off 137 employees. —