Silicon Ranch will partner with Central Electric Power Cooperative to construct a 100-megawatt solar facility in Orangeburg County to support Meta’s first data centre in South Carolina, the companies announced on Monday.
The $100 million project expands existing collaborations between the three partners. It will be the fourth solar facility jointly developed by Silicon Ranch and Central, which supplies electricity to 19 distribution cooperatives across the state, and the 18th energy project between Silicon Ranch and Meta, representing more than 1,500 MW of renewable capacity to date.
“As Meta progresses construction on our data centre 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.”
Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own and operate the facility in coordination with system balancing authority Santee Cooper. Central will purchase the power as part of its statewide portfolio, with Aiken Electric Cooperative serving the Meta site in Graniteville. Meta will receive all renewable energy credits from the facility.
“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.
Rob Hochstetler, President and CEO of Central Electric Power Cooperative, added: “Our expanded partnership with Silicon Ranch supports our ability to meet the state’s growing energy demands at competitive prices and in a safe and responsible manner. We are thrilled to help welcome Meta to South Carolina.”
The solar farm is expected to deliver more than $8 million in new tax revenues to Orangeburg County for schools, infrastructure and other local needs. It will also be managed under Silicon Ranch’s Regenerative Energy® programme, which promotes biodiversity and soil health beneath the solar panels.
Both the facility and Meta’s data centre are scheduled to come online in 2027.
