Clearway Energy Group has closed $1.5 billion in financing and begun construction on the 650 MW Swan Energy Center in Bates County, Missouri. The solar facility, built on formerly strip-mined land, is Clearway’s first project in the state, contracted under a 20-year power purchase agreement and scheduled to reach commercial operations in 2028.
According to Clearway Energy Group, the Swan Energy Center will generate enough electricity each year for about 200,000 homes and forms part of a 1.2 GW portfolio of projects announced earlier this year. A bank consortium led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, DNB Bank ASA and National Australia Bank Limited is funding the build, while Clearway Energy, Inc. has agreed to invest once the project reaches commercial operations. In addition, the developer says the Swan Energy Center will deliver carbon-free power to support load growth in the region.
Meanwhile, regulated utilities in Missouri are answering the same demand growth through a different route. The Missouri Public Service Commission approved Ameren Missouri’s 250 MW Reform Renewable Energy Center in May 2026, clearing the utility to build a solar plant on roughly 1,200 acres it already owns beside the Callaway nuclear plant. The Reform project, which Ameren Missouri says can power about 44,000 homes, is also targeting operations in 2028, although a groundbreaking has not been publicly confirmed. A new 345 kV switching station, detailed in Ameren Missouri’s filing with the commission, will connect the site to existing transmission.
Swan Energy Center Financing Is Led by CIBC, DNB and National Australia Bank
The Swan Energy Center carries a $1.5 billion price tag, which implies roughly $2.3 million for every megawatt of solar capacity. Clearway assembled the bank consortium behind the Swan Energy Center, according to the Clearway announcement.
Furthermore, Clearway Energy, Inc., the public affiliate of Clearway Energy Group, entered into an agreement to invest in the Swan Energy Center upon commercial operations. The affiliate stated in its full year 2025 results that the project’s 20-year power purchase agreement is one of three signed with Google in 2025, covering Missouri, Texas and West Virginia. The project announcement itself does not name the offtaker.
Therefore, the Swan Energy Center enters construction with contracted revenue, bank debt and a committed long-term investor already in place. Clearway describes a platform of more than 14 GW of gross generating capacity across 27 states, and its operating fleet produces enough electricity to power more than 2 million homes. The Swan Energy Center is the developer’s first project in Missouri.
Swan Energy Center Rises on Former Strip-Mined Land Near the Kansas Border
The Swan Energy Center occupies portions of formerly strip-mined land in northwestern Bates County, close to the Kansas border, according to the Swan Energy Center project website. Clearway is partnering with independent local landowners, and the site combines former mine ground with actively cultivated land.
Clearway says building on previously disturbed ground helps the Swan Energy Center avoid sensitive habitat. Moreover, the developer says any public roads used during construction will be repaired and restored at the project’s expense rather than the taxpayers’ expense.
The Swan Energy Center will use American-made solar panels and other equipment. In addition, the site will maintain native grasses and floral resources intended to support pollinators such as the monarch butterfly and to improve soil drainage and soil health.
At 650 MW, the Swan Energy Center is sized to meet the annual electricity needs of about 200,000 homes, according to Clearway. That is more than double the 92,000 homes Ameren Missouri says its three recently commissioned solar sites supply.
Swan Energy Center Delivers More Than $80 Million in Local Revenue Over 30 Years
Clearway has structured a 30-year Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement with Bates County that is expected to generate more than $80 million in new revenue for the local school district and other county services. That works out to roughly $2.7 million a year on average across the term of the agreement.
In addition, Clearway has committed $1 million this year to help Bates County purchase emergency equipment. The developer will also provide $288,000 annually for the first ten years of operations to support road and bridge departments across 24 townships and road districts, a total of $2.88 million. Separately, the towns of Amoret and Amsterdam will receive $200,000 for improvements to public safety equipment.
Blattner Energy is the construction partner for the Swan Energy Center. Construction is expected to create up to 500 jobs at peak activity, according to Clearway, and several long-term technician positions are expected once the facility begins operating.
Clearway Chief Development Officer John Woody described the project as “a significant investment in Bates County.” Commercial operations at the Swan Energy Center are expected to begin in 2028.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Swan Energy Center
- Developer: Clearway Energy Group
- Location: Northwestern Bates County, Missouri
- Project Type: Utility-scale solar facility
- Capacity: 650 MW
- Project Value: $1.5 billion
- Site: Portions of formerly strip-mined land near the Kansas border; site area not publicly disclosed
- Power Offtake: 20-year power purchase agreement
- Financing: Bank consortium led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, DNB Bank ASA and National Australia Bank Limited
- Long-Term Investor: Clearway Energy, Inc., upon commercial operations
- Construction Partner: Blattner Energy
- Status: Financing closed and construction under way, announced October 6, 2026
- Target Completion: Commercial operations in 2028
- Jobs: Up to 500 construction jobs at peak; several permanent technician roles, number not publicly disclosed
- Local Revenue: 30-year PILOT agreement expected to generate more than $80 million
Project Team
Owner and Developer
- Developer: Clearway Energy Group
- Long-Term Investor: Clearway Energy, Inc.
Contractors
- Construction Partner: Blattner Energy
- Design and Engineering: Not publicly disclosed
Financiers
- Lead Bank: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- Lead Bank: DNB Bank ASA
- Lead Bank: National Australia Bank Limited
Offtaker
- Power Purchaser: Google (named in Clearway Energy, Inc. disclosures, not in the project announcement)
Public Bodies
- Host County: Bates County
- Public Safety Funding Recipients: Amoret and Amsterdam
Related Project: Reform Renewable Energy Center
- Owner and Developer: Ameren Missouri
- Regulator: Missouri Public Service Commission
- EPC Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies
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