TL;DR
Get backup power and energy gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
Meta and Apex Clean Energy signed a power purchase agreement tied to the 144-megawatt Starling Solar project in Texas, which is scheduled to begin operating next year. The deal sits alongside Meta’s plan for a 366-megawatt gas-fired plant to serve a new El Paso data center, highlighting the gap between its clean-energy accounting and its continued use of fossil-fuel power.
Meta has signed a power purchase agreement tied to Starling Solar, a planned 144-megawatt project in Gonzales County, Texas, even as it plans a 366-megawatt gas-fired plant for a new data center in El Paso. The solar deal supports new renewable generation, but the planned gas facility is more than twice the project’s capacity and underscores the tension between Meta’s clean-energy commitments and the power demands of its data-center expansion.
Under the agreement with developer Apex Clean Energy, Meta will receive the project’s environmental attributes, which the company can count toward matching its electricity use with clean and renewable energy. Apex said the project would not have been built without Meta’s backing. The agreement is a financial arrangement connected to the solar project; the source report does not say that the project directly supplies electricity to a particular Meta data center.
Starling Solar is rated at 144 megawatts and is scheduled to start operating next year. Meta and Apex estimate it will generate $27 million in tax revenue over the project’s life and $26.3 million in payments to landowners. They also estimate 400 to 450 construction-phase jobs. These are project estimates, not reported outcomes.
Meta told Inside Climate News that natural gas is among the options in its plans to expand data-center capacity for artificial intelligence. The company said it has contributed more than 30 gigawatts of new clean energy to grids across the country and has retained its goal of matching electricity use with 100 percent clean and renewable energy. That accounting goal does not mean gas plants have no effects: the source report says fossil-fuel facilities still produce climate emissions and local air pollution.
Solar Credits and Gas Capacity
The deal shows why a company’s renewable-energy accounting and the physical sources powering its facilities are not always the same thing. Meta can claim Starling’s environmental attributes toward its clean-energy target, while the planned El Paso gas plant would provide a much larger block of generating capacity for a data center. The project’s 144-megawatt rating is less than half the planned plant’s 366 megawatts, though capacity figures alone do not establish how much electricity either facility will produce over time.
The choice matters beyond corporate targets. Gas generation carries climate and local air-pollution impacts, while new solar can add supply to a Texas grid facing rising demand. The source report cites record-high demand in the state during the month it described, exceeding the prior record set in 2023, amid high temperatures and growth in data centers. The agreement therefore combines a local investment in renewable generation with a wider question about how quickly new data-center demand is met and what power sources companies use.
portable solar power bank for camping
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Meta’s Texas Power Expansion
Meta operates three locations in Texas and had 28 data-center sites in the United States as of April, according to the source report. The company’s expansion is taking place as demand for electricity grows alongside data-center development. Texas draws power from a mix of sources; the report says renewables supplied about one-third of in-state electricity last year.
Earlier this year, Meta left the Climate Group’s RE100 initiative after about a decade as a member. Meta said the exit did not change its commitment to clean energy. The new power agreement adds to the company’s renewable procurement activity, but the separate El Paso gas plan has sharpened questions about how its stated target relates to the energy serving individual facilities.
Texas officials have also taken steps to examine data-center demand. In August, Gov. Greg Abbott directed utility regulators and the state grid operator to audit data centers waiting to connect to the ERCOT grid, including their water use and water sources. Under the directive described in the source report, projects that fail to comply with the audit will be denied interconnection.
“Natural gas options are part of its data center expansion plans for artificial intelligence.”
— Meta, in a statement to Inside Climate News
How the Projects Will Supply Power
The source report does not specify whether Starling’s output will be delivered to a particular Meta facility, how much of the project’s electricity Meta will be able to match against its consumption, or how the company calculates that match over time. It also does not provide a construction start date or a confirmed operating date beyond saying the solar project is scheduled to begin operations next year.
Details about the planned El Paso gas plant—including its construction timeline, expected annual generation, emissions, and whether it will operate alongside grid power—are not given in the report. The 366-megawatt figure describes planned capacity; it does not by itself show the plant’s eventual output or how often it will run.
Project Timelines and Grid Review
The next stated milestone for Starling Solar is its planned start of operations next year. Until then, the project’s construction progress and final operating schedule remain to be seen. Meta’s broader power plans will also depend on development of the El Paso gas facility and the energy available to serve its data centers.
Texas regulators and the grid operator are expected to carry out the data-center interconnection audit ordered by Gov. Abbott. Its findings could affect projects waiting to connect to ERCOT and shape how their electricity and water demands are reviewed. The source material does not provide a timetable for the audit’s completion or a new public update from Meta on the El Paso plant.
Key Questions
What did Meta agree to buy from the Texas solar project?
Meta signed a power purchase agreement with Apex Clean Energy connected to Starling Solar, a planned 144-megawatt project. The agreement gives Meta the project’s environmental attributes to count toward its clean-energy target; the report does not say the project directly supplies a specific data center.
How does Starling Solar compare with Meta’s planned El Paso gas plant?
Starling is planned at 144 megawatts, compared with 366 megawatts for the gas-fired plant planned for Meta’s El Paso data center. The gas plant’s stated capacity is more than twice the solar project’s, but capacity is not the same as actual electricity generated.
When is Starling Solar expected to begin operating?
The source report says Starling Solar is scheduled to begin operations next year. It does not give a specific date.
Does Meta say it has dropped its clean-energy goal?
No. Meta said its departure from the RE100 initiative did not affect its commitment to clean energy and that it retained a goal to match its electricity use with 100 percent clean and renewable energy. The company also said it had contributed more than 30 gigawatts of new clean energy to grids across the country.
Source: rss
Evergreen bestsellers Picks
bestsellers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
