Construction has begun on the $1.5 billion, 650 MW Swan Energy Center in west-central Missouri’s Bates County for developer Clearway Energy Group, while giant NextEra Energy plans a standalone solar project on at least 3,000 acres in nearby Amsterdam, Missouri.
Blattner Energy, based in Avon, Minn., is the contractor for the Swan Energy Center, which is expected to be built on parts of a former mine in Bates County to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes annually. The company is a unit of Quanta Services, acquired for $2.7 billion in 2021.
The project, developed by San Francisco-based Clearway, is the company’s first solar installation in Missouri. It is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement and is part of a 1.2GW 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. Clearway Energy Inc. is investing in the project, which begin commercial operations in 2028.
Construction is expected to create up to 500 jobs at peak activity, according to the company.
Clearway says Swan Energy Center will use domestic manufacturer solar panels and other equipment, and plans to maintain native grasses and flowering plants to support pollinators while improving drainage and soil health at the site. The company says the facility is expected to help meet the region’s growing demand for electricity while providing a new source of carbon-free energy.
Second planned solar plot
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 generation capacity or estimated cost.
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The company proposed a 510 MW solar facility, but is considering expanding the development, according to minutes from a Sept. 21 Bates County Commission meeting. The company has approximately 3,000 acres available for the project and is seeking to acquire additional land rights.
The development would also include battery energy storage and require the construction of a new electrical substation, separate from the infrastructure associated with Clearway Energy Group’s project.
County officials indicated previously discussed tax abatement agreements with NextEra would have to be renegotiated because of changes in the proposed development.
An online Change.org petition with 414 signatures as of Oct. 9 opposes the construction of solar farms in the county, saying the facilities “will take up vast acres of productive farmland, forever changing the agricultural heritage of our region.”
He adds that industrial solar arrays threaten farmers’ livelihoods and legacies and have the potential to affect local food supplies and economic stability.
“Studies indicate that large-scale solar farms can lead to soil degradation and habitat disruption, affecting local flora and fauna and reducing biodiversity. Bates County’s identities are deeply tied to its agricultural roots, and disrupting that could mean an immeasurable loss of culture and heritage,” the petition says.
No data center is currently proposed in Bates County, county officials say.
NextEra announced an estimated $67 million merger with utility Virginia Dominion in May, which is now under review by that state’s regulator with a decision set for January and the final deal closing in mid-2027.
