Meta's First Data Center in South Carolina Spurs New 100-MW Silicon Ranch Solar Project
Silicon Ranch is building a 100-MW solar farm in South Carolina to support Meta’s first data center in the state.
The solar developer is partnering with Central Electric Power Cooperative on the interconnection. The Orangeburg County solar farm will be connected into the grid but also serve as a carbon-free offset to Meta’s data computing operations.
Meta announced last year it was building the $800 million data center in Aiken County. It is expected to be completed and operational by spring 2027.
“As Meta progresses construction on our data center in South Carolina, we are pleased to join our new utility partners Central and Aiken Electric Cooperative and our long-term trusted partner Silicon Ranch to announce this project together,” said Urvi Parekh, Head of Global Energy at Meta, in a statement. “We’re grateful to Central for supporting our energy goals in South Carolina and thrilled to expand our relationship with Silicon Ranch, who shares our commitment to have a positive impact in the communities where we locate.”
The Orangeburg County solar farm is Silicon Ranch’s fourth project working with Central Electric Power Cooperative, which unites South Carolina’s 19 distribution electric coops.
Meta’s financial support has girded Silicon Ranch through 18 energy infrastructure projects to date. Those represent 1.8 GW of renewable energy capacity into the grid.
“Domestic infrastructure and access to energy are among the most critical factors for economic development, and Silicon Ranch is pleased to partner with Central to help deliver the power generation that Meta requires in support of its significant investment in South Carolina,” said Reagan Farr, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “We’re honored by the confidence and trust that Meta continues to place in our team to execute on their behalf and grateful to be part of this compelling journey with them while also expanding our meaningful relationship with Central with this additional investment in the state.”
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Under the agreement, Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own and operate the facility in coordination with the system balancing authority, Santee Cooper. Central will purchase energy from the facility as part of its statewide power portfolio, benefiting all 19 of its member cooperatives.
Aiken Electric Cooperative, one of those members, will serve the Meta facility, currently under construction in the Sage Mill Industrial Park near Graniteville. In connection with its investment, Meta will receive all renewable energy credits associated with the facility energy.
Under many power purchase agreements, the customer such as Meta does not receive the renewable energy directly. The PPA, however, supports investment of carbon-free generation into the overall grid.
Nashville-based Silicon Ranch has attracted a roster of private equity investors over the past five years. Earlier in 2025, Danish-backed AIP Management announced its investment of $500 million into the solar developer’s coffers.
In 2023, Silicon Ranch completed a $600 million funding round with investors including Manulife Investment Management, TD Asset Management and Mountain Group Partners.
The Orangeburg County solar farm will cost close to $100 million to build, according to reports.
Meta has installed more than 20 data centers within the United States. Among its solar PPAs include agreements on projects with developers such as RWE, Invenergy, EDP and AES, according to EnergyTech coverage of the long-term deals.
About the Author
Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor
Managing Editor
For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].
Rod Walton has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World.
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.