Clearway Starts $1.5B, 650 MW Swan Solar Project in Missouri With Blattner

Clearway Energy Group has closed financing and started construction on the Swan Energy Center, a $1.5 billion, 650-megawatt solar project on formerly strip-mined land in Bates County, Missouri, with Blattner Energy as the construction contractor. Commercial operation is expected in 2028 POWER.

What Happened

Clearway announced on October 6 that a bank consortium led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, DNB Bank ASA and National Australia Bank is financing the project POWER. The output is contracted under a 20-year power purchase agreement, though the buyer has not been named PV Tech. The project is Clearway's first in Missouri and part of a 1.2-gigawatt portfolio the company announced earlier this year PV Tech.

Blattner Energy, based in Avon, Minnesota, is a unit of Quanta Services, which acquired it for $2.7 billion in 2021 ENR. Once complete, the facility is expected to produce enough electricity for the equivalent of 200,000 homes a year ENR.

John Woody, Clearway's chief development officer, said "The Swan Energy Center represents a significant investment in Bates County," and thanked local partners for "welcoming Clearway to the community" PV Tech.

The Project by the Numbers

• Capacity: 650 megawatts POWER.
• Cost: $1.5 billion POWER.
• Site: portions of formerly strip-mined land in northwestern Bates County POWER.
• Construction jobs: up to 500 at peak, plus several long-term technician positions once operating POWER.
• Equipment: U.S.-made solar panels and other equipment PV Tech.
• Schedule: commercial operation expected in 2028 ENR.

Community Payments

Clearway has signed a 30-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with Bates County designed to generate more than $80 million over its life for local schools and county services POWER. The company also committed $1 million this year for county emergency equipment, $288,000 a year for the first 10 years of operation for 24 townships and road districts, and $200,000 for public safety equipment in the towns of Amoret and Amsterdam POWER.

The site plan calls for native grasses and flowering plants to support pollinators, including monarch butterflies, and to improve soil drainage PV Tech.

Where Things Stand Locally

Swan is not the only large solar proposal in the county. NextEra Energy is planning a solar and battery storage project near Amsterdam, initially proposed at 510 megawatts on about 3,000 acres, with an expansion under consideration according to minutes of a September 21 county commission meeting ENR. Its final size, schedule, contractor and cost have not been disclosed, and previously discussed tax abatement agreements must be renegotiated ENR. A petition opposing solar farms in the county had 414 signatures as of October 9 ENR.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Brownfield land is buildable land. Reclaimed mine sites can host utility-scale energy without competing for prime farmland, which can ease local approvals.
• Community packages are part of the deal. PILOT agreements, road funding and emergency equipment commitments are now standard terms for large projects in rural counties. Developers should budget for them early.
• Domestic content shapes procurement. The use of U.S.-made panels points to supply chains that favor domestic manufacturers, with lead times that general and electrical contractors need to plan around.
• Peak labor of 500 is significant for a rural county. Housing, transportation and local subcontractor capacity become real constraints on projects of this size.
• Bank financing remains available for contracted projects. A 20-year offtake agreement supported a $1.5 billion close with a multinational lending group.

What to Watch

• Identification of the power buyer under the 20-year contract.
• Progress on NextEra's Bates County project and its renegotiated incentives.
• Local hiring and subcontracting as construction ramps up toward peak.

Bottom Line

Clearway's Swan Energy Center moves from plan to construction with financing closed, a contracted buyer and a seasoned solar builder on site. For the industry, it is another example of large energy projects pairing reclaimed land with substantial payments to the host community.

Image credit: Clearway Energy. Image from the source article; it shows a Clearway solar facility. PV Tech.

Sources

• POWER, Clearway Starts Construction of 650-MW Solar Facility in Missouri: https://www.powermag.com/clearway-starts-construction-of-650-mw-solar-facility-in-missouri/
• PV Tech, Clearway secures financing, starts construction on 650MW Missouri solar project: https://www.pv-tech.org/clearway-secures-financing-starts-construction-on-650mw-missouri-solar-project/
• ENR, Quanta Unit Blattner Starts Work on $1.5B Solar Project in Missouri: https://www.enr.com/articles/63819-quanta-unit-blattner-starts-work-on-15b-solar-project-in-missouri