Meta-backed solar plant breaks ground in rural Arkansas

Overview

Updated 6 hours ago

EDP Renewables North America began construction on Cypress Knee Solar, a 250-megawatt plant on roughly 2,200 acres of flat farmland near Lake Village in Chicot County, Arkansas. The company announced the groundbreaking on November 4, six months after signing a long-term power purchase agreement with Meta.

The plant is due to run by 2028 and accounts for nearly half of the 545 megawatts Meta has now contracted with EDP Renewables. For Chicot County, the return is tax revenue: about $25 million over 30 years through an industrial revenue bond, with the largest share going to the Lakeside School District.

Why it matters

Chicot County collects roughly $830,000 a year for 30 years from a solar farm whose electricity a tech company buys.

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Key Indicators

250 MW

Plant capacity

Cypress Knee Solar's generating capacity, enough for more than 43,000 Arkansas homes at a 25% capacity factor.

$25M

Lifetime payments to Chicot County

Revenue paid over the project's 30-year life under an industrial revenue bond agreement.

545 MW

Total Meta-EDPR contracted capacity

Cypress Knee is the third deal between the two companies and nearly half of the total.

$400M+

Estimated capital investment

EDP Renewables' published estimate for building the project.

43,400

Arkansas homes matched

Equivalent household consumption, calculated at a 25% capacity factor.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Sandhya Ganapathy

Chief executive, EDP Renewables North America

Leading the company through Cypress Knee construction

Amanda Yang

Head of clean and renewable energy, Meta

Overseeing Meta's renewable procurement portfolio

Organizations Involved

EDP Renewables North America

Renewable energy developer

Building Cypress Knee Solar

Houston-based subsidiary of Portugal's EDP that develops and operates wind and solar projects across the United States.

Timeline

May 2026 November 2026

2 events Latest: Today

November 2026
Cypress Knee Solar breaks ground in Chicot County
Today Construction

EDP Renewables announced the start of construction on November 4; the plant is scheduled to run by 2028.
Today
May 2026
Meta and EDP Renewables sign 250 MW power purchase agreement
Contract

The deal is the third between the two companies and brings their total contracted capacity to 545 megawatts.
May 4th, 2026

Scenarios

Cypress Knee Solar enters commercial operation by the end of 2028

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: EDP Renewables project announcements and its published construction timeline

EDP Renewables has said the plant will be complete in 2028, and construction began on schedule six months after the contract was signed. If procurement and interconnection hold, the county's roughly $830,000 annual payment stream starts in 2029.

Construction slips past 2028 and payments start late

Possible Resolves by Q2 2029

Discussed by: No public forecaster; the risk is implied by the gap between the 2027 date in earlier project materials and the 2028 date in the November announcement

EDP's earlier fact sheet listed an estimated commercial operation date of 2027, and the November release says 2028. A further slip would delay the county's revenue and push the plant's output past the current contract window.

Meta and EDP Renewables sign a fourth power purchase agreement

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Trade press covering the companies' expanding procurement relationship

Each of the three deals has been larger or comparable to the last, and Meta continues to contract generation for its data centers. A fourth agreement would extend the pattern into another state or another Arkansas project.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2024

Brittlebush Solar Park, Arizona (2024)

EDP Renewables built a 200-megawatt solar plant in Pinal County, Arizona, with Meta contracted to buy the output to support its data center in Mesa. It was the first of the two companies' power purchase agreements.

Then

The plant gave Meta a template for contracting new generation rather than buying renewable energy credits.

Now

Two more deals followed, including Cypress Knee, bringing the pair's total to 545 megawatts.

Why this matters now

Cypress Knee repeats the Brittlebush structure: a developer builds, a tech company buys the output, and the host county collects property tax revenue.

August 2022

Inflation Reduction Act (August 2022)

The law set long-term federal tax credits for solar and wind generation, replacing a cycle of short-term extensions that had made project financing harder to plan.

Then

Developers gained a multi-year window to underwrite projects and sign long-term contracts.

Now

Utility-scale solar construction accelerated across the South, including states with little prior solar capacity.

Why this matters now

The credits underpin the economics that let EDP Renewables offer Meta a fixed long-term price for Arkansas generation.