Google, Cypress Creek start Steel River solar-battery project in Arkansas

Cypress Creek Energy and Google have commenced construction on the initial two phases of the Steel River Energy Centre in Mississippi County, Arkansas, with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by local officials, company representatives and community leaders. The initial phases will deliver 1.6GW-direct current (GWdc) of solar generation capacity and 1.9GW-hours (GWh) of battery storage to the local electricity grid, with Google securing power from these phases via a power purchase agreement.

When all three phases are completed by 2029, the project will deliver a total of 2.5GWdc of solar capacity and 2.9GWh of battery storage. According to Cypress Creek, this output is expected to be sufficient to supply more than 315,000 homes in Arkansas each year. Will Conkling, Google Data Centre Energy head, stated: "Steel River not only represents an important investment in Google's clean energy commitments but also in our commitment to Arkansas. This collaboration with Cypress Creek Energy will strengthen the grid and help ensure more reliable, affordable and clean energy is available for businesses and communities throughout the state."

The project is embedded in regional manufacturing infrastructure. Located in the heart of the country's leading steel-producing region, it will use structural steel sourced from Mississippi County. For the early stages, PACO Steel will supply more than 400,000 steel piles manufactured in Blytheville, using 142,000t of steel from US Steel's Big River Steel facility. Solar trackers for the site will be produced with domestic steel, and all solar modules and battery energy storage systems will be made in the US. The construction is expected to generate roughly 700 jobs per phase and provide a total of $300m in tax revenue over the project life, supporting Rivercrest School District, Mississippi County and the town of Wilson.

Cypress Creek has named Moss as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. Last month, Cypress Creek obtained $3.5bn in financing for the initial two phases of the Steel River Energy Centre.

The Steel River Energy Centre represents a significant convergence of Google's renewable energy expansion and regional infrastructure investment in Arkansas. Google's entry into a power purchase agreement signals the company's ongoing strategy to secure long-term clean energy supply for its data center operations, a critical component of its sustainability commitments. The project's location in Mississippi County—the heart of the US steel-producing region—creates a direct economic multiplier: the development will consume more than 400,000 steel piles manufactured locally from 142,000t of steel sourced from US Steel's Big River Steel facility, anchoring manufacturing jobs in the region alongside construction employment.

The financing structure ($3.5bn for phases one and two alone) and the phased completion timeline (all phases by 2029) indicate a capital-intensive but geographically committed deployment. The forecasted $300m in tax revenue over the project life and roughly 700 jobs per phase underscore the local economic footprint. The requirement that all solar modules and battery energy storage systems be manufactured in the US also aligns with broader industrial policy priorities favoring domestic supply chains in clean energy infrastructure.