Meta’s Palmetto Play: 100 MW Solar Farm to Feed First SC Data Hall

A US$100 m Orangeburg County array—developed with Silicon Ranch and Central Electric—will pump clean electrons into Meta’s new Sage Mill campus, locking in 100 % renewable power and US$8 m of local tax receipts before doors even open in 2027.

Deal at a glance

Capacity: 100 MWdc single-axis tracking solar
Location: 600 acres off I-95, Orangeburg County, SC
Capital stack: Silicon Ranch equity + tax-equity partner; Meta signs 20-year PPA & keeps all RECs
Timeline: construction Q2-2025, commercial ops Q1-2027 (coincides with data-centre go-live)
Economic bump: US$8 m in new property-tax revenue over project life; 90 % of panels, steel and racking sourced domestically

Why South Carolina?

Central Electric Power Cooperative—wholesale supplier to 19 member co-ops—had 1.2 GW of summer peak in 2024 and forecasts 3 % CAGR growth. The Orangeburg array adds flexible, fuel-free capacity while shaving peak-day wholesale prices for rural rate-payers.

Regenerative twist

Silicon Ranch’s **Regenerative Energy®** programme will seed low-maintenance pollinator habitat under and between rows, boosting local soybean and cotton yields via increased bee activity. Deep-rooted grasses also curb erosion and sequester an estimated 1,300 tCO₂e over 30 years.

Meta’s renewable score-card

This is the **18th project** between Meta and Silicon Ranch, pushing their joint portfolio to **1,500 MW** across four states and **US$2.5 bn** in cumulative capital investment. Globally Meta has contracted **7.5 GW** of wind and solar—enough to match 100 % of its data-centre load since 2020.

Bottom line

Hyperscale growth and decarbonisation no longer compete: Orangeburg panels will spin electrons the same hour Meta servers spin up Instagram reels, proving—once again—that the cheapest watt is the one you never have to burn fuel to create.