A major solar farm owner and operator is partnering with an electric cooperative to build a 100-MW solar power facility that will serve Meta’s first data center in South Carolina.
Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media and communication platforms, is expanding its relationship with Silicon Ranch, a project developer and independent power producer, and Central Electric Power Cooperative with the new installation. Details of the project were announced August 19.
Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own, and operate the solar farm in Orangeburg County in coordination with Santee Cooper, the system balancing authority. Central Electric, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is a statewide power generation and transmission cooperative that secures electricity for the state’s 19 distribution electric co-ops. Meta said the project supports the tech company’s goal of 100% sustainability in its operations.
The data center and the solar facility are both expected to enter commercial operation in 2027.
Silicon Ranch Supporting Meta
The Orangeburg solar facility will be the fourth project between Silicon Ranch and Central. The project is the 18th in the partnership between Silicon Ranch and Meta, representing more than 1,500 MW of renewable energy generation capacity, and included in the more than $2.5 billion of investments by Silicon Ranch across four states to support Meta’s operations.
Central will purchase energy from the facility as part of its statewide power portfolio, benefiting all 19 of its member cooperatives. Aiken Electric Cooperative, one of those members, will serve the Meta facility, which is currently under construction in the Sage Mill Industrial Park near Graniteville.
Meta as part of its investment will receive all renewable energy credits associated with the Orangeburg farm. The project represents a capital investment of more than $100 million in Orangeburg County.
Silicon Ranch estimates the solar facility will generate more than $8 million in new tax revenues to help fund local schools, infrastructure, and other community-identified priorities. Silicon Ranch will also care for the land under its Regenerative Energy land stewardship program, which seeks to improve the quality of land by promoting deep-rooted, multi-species grasses and pollinator habitat under and around the solar array.
Silicon Ranch, founded in 2011, is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions, and one of the nation’s largest independent power producers with a portfolio that includes more than 7 GW of solar and battery energy storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada.
Utility Partners
“As Meta progresses construction on our data center in South Carolina, we are pleased to join our new utility partners Central and Aiken Electric Cooperative and our long-term trusted partner Silicon Ranch to announce this project together,” said Urvi Parekh, head of Global Energy at Meta. “We’re grateful to Central for supporting our energy goals in South Carolina and thrilled to expand our relationship with Silicon Ranch, who shares our commitment to have a positive impact in the communities where we locate.”
“Domestic infrastructure and access to energy are among the most critical factors for economic development, and Silicon Ranch is pleased to partner with Central to help deliver the power generation that Meta requires in support of its significant investment in South Carolina,” said Reagan Farr, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “We’re honored by the confidence and trust that Meta continues to place in our team to execute on their behalf and grateful to be part of this compelling journey with them while also expanding our meaningful relationship with Central with this additional investment in the state.”
“As the power supplier for South Carolina’s 19 electric cooperatives, Central is laser-focused on meeting our state’s growing energy demands at competitive prices and in a safe and responsible manner,” said Rob Hochstetler, president and CEO of Central Electric Power Cooperative. “Our expanded partnership with Silicon Ranch supports our ability to deliver toward this mission, and we are thrilled to help welcome Meta to South Carolina.”
“This announcement is another step forward for this transformative project,” said Gary Stooksbury, CEO of Aiken Electric Cooperative. “Aiken Electric Cooperative is proud to serve Meta, and we welcome them as a long-term partner to our community.”
Central Electric Power Cooperative, formed in 1948, is a not-for-profit group that provides power for about 2 million customers in South Carolina across the state’s 46 counties. Aiken Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, consumer-owned utility that serves more than 52,000 members across nine counties in western South Carolina.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
