Overview
- Cypress Creek and Google broke ground Tuesday on the Steel River Energy Center and began construction of the first two phases that will add 1.6 GW of solar and 1.9 GWh of battery storage to the grid.
- Google has agreed to serve as an anchor investor and to buy the initial output under a VPPA/PPA, taking the majority of generation from the first two phases to help meet its local power needs.
- Developers say the project will use predominantly U.S.‑made components, including First Solar modules, tracker hardware, U.S.‑sourced structural steel and domestically assembled battery systems.
- Project promoters estimate about 700 construction jobs, roughly $300 million in lifetime tax revenue for the area, and a $5 million Google commitment for local energy affordability programs.
- Cypress Creek bought the project earlier this year and closed roughly $3.5 billion in financing in June, with the full three‑phase site planned to reach 2.5 GW of solar and 2.9 GWh of storage by 2029 to support growing data‑center electricity demand and grid reliability.