Meta Agreement Supports 144 MW Starling Solar Project in Gonzales County
Apex Clean Energy’s agreement with Meta supports solar generation for the ERCOT grid, with contractor awards and the final operating schedule still requiring confirmation.
Apex Clean Energy announced its Starling Solar agreement with Meta on September 16. The 144 MW Gonzales County project is the seventh transaction between the companies, bringing their combined portfolio to approximately 1,200 MW.
Project at a Glance
- Developer:
- Apex Clean Energy
- Corporate counterparty:
- Meta
- Announced capacity:
- 144 MW
- Capital investment:
- Not disclosed in the announcement
Grid generation and environmental attributes
Under the announced agreement, Meta receives exclusive rights to the project’s environmental attributes, including renewable energy credits. The project supplies the regional grid; the announcement does not describe a dedicated electrical connection to a particular Meta data center.
Apex forecasts 400–450 construction jobs and approximately $27 million in lifetime tax revenue, including $15.6 million for local schools. These are developer projections rather than completed economic benefits or a construction contract value.
Operating dates need reconciliation
Apex targets commercial operations in 2027. Utility Dive separately reported that ERCOT’s August queue listed January 28, 2028, and placed the project in the full interconnection study phase after security screening. Those public indicators do not yet provide a single reconciled operating date.
Contractors should seek a current interconnection milestone schedule and an approved construction baseline. Equipment delivery, electrical completion, permission to energize and commercial operation are separate events, and an announced target alone does not settle their sequence.
Potential packages and unannounced awards
Utility-scale solar construction typically creates opportunities in grading and access roads, foundations and racking, module installation, collection cabling, substations, protection and controls, testing and commissioning. These are potential work categories inferred from the technology, not a published Starling bid list.
The sources reviewed identify Apex and Meta but do not establish Starling’s EPC contractor, module supplier, inverter supplier or electrical subcontractor. They also do not disclose a project capital budget or site acreage. Those are the key outstanding details for firms assessing the opportunity.