Independent power producer and renewable energy developer Enbridge has announced that Meta will purchase power delivered by the first phase of its Cowboy Project utility-scale solar and energy storage facility.
The plan for the $1.2 billion site located near Cheyenne, Wyoming includes 365 MW of solar generation capacity and a 200 MW, 1,600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied and serviced by Tesla.
The Cowboy Project expands the existing renewable energy partnership between Enbridge and Meta, which now totals approximately 1.6 GW of contracted capacity across North America, and includes a 600 MW solar project and two wind projects in Texas.
“By integrating utility-scale solar with battery storage, we’re delivering reliable, scalable energy solutions that support Meta’s data center operations while strengthening grid performance,” said Enbridge senior vice president of corporate strategy Allen Capps in a statement.
The Cowboy Project facility’s power will be delivered to Meta by Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power (CLFP) under Wyoming’s Large Power Contract Service tariff. The power output capacity of the Cowboy Project BESS is contracted under a long-term battery tolling agreement, giving CLFP the ability to control battery charging and discharging to suit the needs of the grid.
The CLFP large-load tariff gives retail customers with a load over 13 MW a way to access market energy rates and renewable energy contracts. It was originally co-developed by the utility and Microsoft in 2016, specifically to accommodate the latter company’s expanding data center operations in Cheyenne.
Project timelines
Enbridge said it plans to bring the Cowboy Project facility online by the end of 2027, however, construction timelines for large solar installations planned for Wyoming have a history of being pushed into the future.
The Cowboy Project site was first approved in 2024, with an initial plan for 771 MW of solar and 268 MW of BESS at the site, with Phase I consisting of 400 MW and 136 MW, respectively, and construction slated to begin in 2025.
With Meta serving as a committed buyer for the power, the 2027 operational date for the Cowboy Project facility could be more realistic. If the Cowboy Project facility is completed on time, it would likely become the largest solar and energy storage installation in the state.
Another Wyoming facility, the 499 MW solar-plus-storage Dutchman Renewable Power Project in Converse county initially scheduled to begin construction in 2024, has also been delayed, reportedly because it does not have a buyer for the power it would produce.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are currently only two large-scale solar projects operating in Wyoming: the 150 MW South Cheyenne Solar facility and the 92 MW Sweetwater Solar farm. These two facilities contributed much of the state’s recent surge in the amount of energy generated by renewable sources.
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