Casino and entertainment giant MGM Resorts International has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Escape Solar to more than double its investment in solar electricity and help the company achieve 100 percent equivalent renewable electricity in North America by 2030.
Currently, MGM Resorts contracts solar power for 90% equivalent of the total daytime requirements at 11 of its Las Vegas Strip properties. The agreement will strengthen the company's renewable energy capabilities and extend production to cover 100% of the properties' total daytime needs.
Moreover, Escape Solar's battery storage will help extend renewable power provided into the late afternoon and early evening hours to include uses such as exterior property lighting.
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The Escape Solar + Storage project will be operated by Estuary Power and is scheduled for construction in Lincoln County, Nevada. It will combine a 115 MW solar facility with a 100 MW/400 MWh battery storage system.
While the facility will produce an amount of renewable electricity equivalent to the annual power usage of more than 28,000 average U.S. homes, its operations are anticipated to begin in early 2026.
"MGM Resorts' purchase of renewable energy from Escape will reduce carbon emissions by nearly 250,000 metric tons annually,” said Jill Daniel, CEO of Estuary Power. “In addition, Escape will generate substantial economic benefits for Lincoln County, Nevada as the first utility scale solar project in the county and will create over 250 well-paying construction jobs."
Many corporate PPAs help fund utility-scale renewable energy projects but the power goes directly into the regional grid and not often directly to the investing customer. The PPA, however, does provide more financial certainty for the projects which help decarbonize the overall grid. MGM has connected directly with several solar projects near its facilities
In 2023, the company achieved two goals related to carbon emissions: reduce emissions by square foot by 45 percent by 2025 and reduce emissions per square foot by 50 percent by 2030. Since 2016, MGM Resorts has reduced its carbon emissions through renewable energy projects including:
- 323,000-panel Mega Solar Array providing 100 MW to MGM Resorts locations in Las Vegas
- 26,000 solar panels atop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center providing 8.3MW to that property
- 100-kW rooftop solar array to help power T-Mobile Arena
- 3,456 solar panels atop the parking garage at MGM Springfield in Massachusetts
MGM Resorts International owns numerous casinos and entertainment complexes across the U.S. and in China. In Las Vegas, it operates the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay resorts.
