150-megawatt solar farm opens in Laramie County

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A year ago, a piece of land in southern Laramie County off U.S. Highway 85 was empty and looked like most undeveloped land in the area. Now, it is home to more than 315,500 solar panel modules that generate 150 megawatts of energy that will power part of the Meta data center, scheduled to open in 2027.

The Southern Power-operated company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the state’s newest solar farm, which more than doubles Wyoming’s solar production. Southern Power acquired the project from Hanwha Qcells, a major South Korean solar panel manufacturer, in September 2023. It signed an agreement with Qcells to manufacture and build the South Cheyenne Solar Facility while also overseeing the project.

Southern Power CEO Robin Boren said the investment and completion of the project was intended to provide continued renewable energy to the Meta data centre.

The power will be transferred to Meta under a 20-year contract between Southern Power, Black Hills Energy and Meta. Under the contract, Southern Power produces power and sells it to Black Hills Energy, which can use the power to meet its customers’ needs while also fulfilling an agreement with Meta to provide 150 megawatts of renewable energy to power its data center in Cheyenne.

While Meta has not yet released information on how much energy its Cheyenne plant will use, it will likely be well over 150 megawatts.

With the South Cheyenne Solar Facility, Meta will achieve its goal of powering its Cheyenne data center from 100% renewable sources.

This story was published on July 12, 2024.