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Construction has started on planned $1.5-billion, 650-MW Swan Energy Center solar project in Bates County using panels similar to these pictured to be manufactured in the U.S.
Construction has started on the $1.5-billion, 650-MW Swan Energy Center in Bates County, in west-central Missouri for developer Clearway Energy Group, while giant NextEra Energy is planning a separate solar project on at least 3,000 acres in nearby Amsterdam, Mo.
Avon, Minn.-based Blattner Energy is contractor for the Swan Energy Center, expected to be built on portions of a former strip mine in the county to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes annually. The firm is a unit of Quanta Services, acquired for $2.7 billion in 2021.
The project, being developed by San Francisco-based Clearway, is the company’s first solar facility in Missouri. It is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement and is part of a 1.2-GW portfolio of projects the developer announced earlier this year.
A banking consortium led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, DNB Bank ASA and National Australia Bank Ltd. is investing in the project, which would begin commercial operation in 2028.
Construction is expected to create up to 500 jobs at peak activity, Clearway says.
Swan Energy Center, set to help meet regional power demand with carbon-free energy, will use domestically manufactured solar panels and other equipment, according to the developer, with native grasses and flowering plants to be maintained to support pollinators and improve soil drainage on the site.
Second Solar Site Planned
NextEra, based in Juno Beach, Fla., aims to build a solar and battery storage project in Amsterdam, Mo., also in Bates County, but did not disclose the project’s final size, construction schedule, contractor, expected total generation capacity or estimated cost.
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The company initially proposed a 510-MW solar facility but is considering an expansion.according to minutes of a Sept. 21 county commission meeting. It has approximately 3,000 acres available for the project and is looking at acquiring rights to more land.
The development also would include battery energy storage and require construction of a new electrical substation, separate from infrastructure associated with Clearway’s project.
County officials indicated that previously discussed tax-abatement agreements with NextEra would need to be renegotiated because of changes to the proposed development.
A Change.org online petition with 414 signatures as of Oct. 9 opposes construction of solar farms in the county, saying they “will occupy vast acres of productive farmland that will forever change the agricultural heritage of our region.”
It adds that industrial solar arrays threaten livelihoods and legacies of farmers and could impact local food supplies and economic stability.
“Studies indicate that large-scale solar farms can lead to soil degradation and habitat disruption, affecting the local flora and fauna and reducing biodiversity. Bates County’s identities are deeply tied to its agricultural roots, and altering this could mean a loss of culture and heritage that cannot be measured,” the petition says.
No data centers are currently proposed in they county, officials say.
NextEra announced an estimated $67-million merger with Virginia utility Dominion in May, now under review by that state’s regulator with a decision set for January and final deal close by mid-2027.
Annemarie Mannion is editor of ENR Midwest, which covers 13 states. She joined ENR in 2022 and reports from Chicago.
