The American arm of bp, through its 50:50 joint venture partner Lightsource bp, has begun construction on a 134MW solar project in Fulton County, Ohio.
The Arche solar project will provide power to tech giant Meta through an agreed power purchase agreement (PPA) for its operations in the area. Lightsource bp is handling the construction and development of the plant on behalf of bp America.
The project will feature modules from US manufacturer First Solar and tracking systems from Nextracker.
bp said that project construction and operation is expected to create around 200 jobs across the supply chain and provide US$30 million of revenue and support to the local community across its lifespan.
bp America chairman and president Dave Lawler said: “This agreement shows how companies can create jobs, invest in the US economy, and at the same time support net zero ambitions and help the world reduce carbon emissions. It’s another example of bp partnering to accelerate change and becoming an integrated energy company – one that can help corporations, countries and cities decarbonise.”
Lightsource bp was praised by the White House in October for its contributions towards driving demand for American-made solar and domestic renewables investment.
As of November last year, Meta had the largest corporate solar portfolio in the US, clocking up over 3.5GW of capacity through a number of PPAs including contracts in Texas and Utah.
The Arche solar project is part of bp’s plans to develop 20GW of net renewable generating capacity by 2025 and 50GW by 2030.