Jonesboro, AR
Multi-media Journalist
Construction is underway on the $3.5 billion Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County. The three-phase solar project is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 300,000 Arkansas homes by 2029, create up to 1,400 construction jobs and generate more than $300 million i…
Construction is underway on a $3.5 billion solar energy project in Mississippi County that developers say will be the largest of its kind in the nation.
Cypress Creek Energy and Google–a newly announced partner–marked the official start of construction on the upcoming Steel River Energy Center in Wilson.
“Solar power right now is the cheapest source of electricity supply into the market,” said Kevin Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of Cypress Creek Energy. “And with Americans struggling to pay their electric bills, this is exactly the kind of power we need to put on the grid… it’ll help keep electricity prices down for the consumers in the area.”
When all three phases of the $3.5 billion investment are complete, it will generate 2.5 gigawatts of solar energy and 2.9 gigawatt-hours of battery storage, enough electricity by 2029 to power over 300,000 Arkansas homes.
Smith tells Northeast Arkansas News that the first two phases of the project will also create up to 1,400 on-site construction jobs, and the majority of the steel used for the panels will be sourced directly from Mississippi County. He also anticipates that the center will generate more than $300 million of tax revenue in its lifetime.
It wasn’t just about energy and steel at the ground breaking; Cypress Creek Energy donated $400,000 toward Rivercrest School District to pay for a new playground.
Moss Construction and Nextpower, who are also involved in the solar project, donated an additional combined $120,000 to fund a security gate and Neighbor by Neighbor, a project that helps families in need in the school district.
District Superintendent Shantell Raper says that receiving the money for the investments made her emotional.
“I had to hold back tears,” she said. “What I felt is a genuine concern for our children.”
The first two phases of the project are expected to begin delivering electricity to the grid by the middle of 2028, with the second phase having an estimated completion date of the middle of 2029.
Mississippi County will host the new $3.5 billion Steel River Energy Center, one of the nation’s largest solar and battery storage projects. Expected to be complete by 2029, the facility will create 700 construction jobs and generate $300 million in local tax revenue for schools and infrastructure.
Multi-media Journalist
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