Google breaks ground on Arkansas solar storage project

Google has announced that it broke ground on the Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County, Arkansas, alongside local leaders and Cypress Creek Energy.

• Google says it will act as an anchor investor and offtaker for the first two phases, which will add 1.6 GWdc of solar generation and 1.9 GWh of battery storage to the regional grid.
• The full three-phase project is expected to deliver 2.5 GWdc of solar and 2.9 GWh of storage by 2029; construction will use 100% U.S.-made structural steel from U.S. Steel’s Big River facility and PACO Steel’s Arkansas plant.
• Google also committed $5 million for Arkansas energy affordability initiatives, and the project is said to create about 700 local jobs and generate an estimated $300 million in tax revenue over its life.