First Solar has announced a second solar project in Utah to support Facebook’s Eagle Mountain Data Center. The company is already scheduled to complete the 58-MW Cove Mountain project nearby by the end of 2020.
The 122-MW Cove Mountain 2 solar plant will support the Facebook data center through a PPA with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp and part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. The facility will be built near the town of Enterprise in Iron County, Utah, and is scheduled to begin operations in 2020.
“This project is an important part of our commitment to support all of our data centers and offices with 100% renewable energy in 2020,” said Paul Clements, Director of Energy and Infrastructure at Facebook. “Our data centers are among the most water- and energy-efficient facilities in the world. Working with First Solar and Rocky Mountain Power allows us to ensure that our data center will be supported by new renewable energy resources – like this solar power plant – in the same electrical grid as our data center.”
The project will be powered by First Solar’s large Series 6 modules. First Solar expects to begin construction in late 2019 and estimates that Cove Mountain Solar and Cove Mountain 2 Solar will generate approximately 450 construction jobs on average, and up to 1,100 jobs at the peak of activity.
“Cove Mountain 2 demonstrates the ability of utility-scale solar to power corporate renewable energy ambitions effectively,” said Karl Brutsaert, Senior Director of Corporate Renewables at First Solar. “Combining the commercial and environmental efficiencies of utility-scale solar with a green tariff PPA model allows companies like Facebook to meet their decarbonization commitments while making smart economic decisions. As a global leader in corporate solar, we’re proud to be a driver of this trend.”
