Terra-Gen is approaching groundbreaking on a $3 billion solar energy project in California.
At completion, the site will produce 1,400 megawatts of solar electricity.
The project comes as data center power draws are surging, with Goldman Sach’s forecasting data center electricity demand will double from 2025 to 2027.
Terra-Gen, one of the country’s largest independent renewable energy producers, is advancing a $3 billion solar photovoltaic and battery storage project. The development is set for Kern County, California, with construction expected to begin in February 2027.
The project cleared a key hurdle in June when it received approval from the Kern County Board of Supervisors, bringing the development closer to groundbreaking.
The Discovery Solar PV and Storage Project would span roughly 7,700 acres in southeast Kern County, just over 55 miles North of Los Angeles. Construction is expected to employ between 470 and 660 local, unionized workers.
The facility will generate up to 1,400 megawatts (MW) of solar electricity, enough to power 430,000 homes, paired with eight gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage capacity.
Additionally, the project is projected to generate $44 million in property tax revenue in its first full year of operation and $750 million over it’s lifetime, according to the company’s Associate Director of Environmental Planning, Taylor Schoene.
The Discovery project comes as Power Infrastructure construction continues to accelerate nationally. ConstructConnect forecasts a 30.1% increase in Power Infrastructure starts in 2027 compared to full-year 2026.
The ramp-up has followed rapid data center construction, which continues to strain the electrical grid. Goldman Sachs Research forecasted in May of this year that U.S. data center electricity demand would double from 2025 to 2027, going from 31 GW to 66 GW.
That power need is pushing demand for new generation capacity of all types, including large-scale solar like the Discovery Project, to keep pace with exponential load growth.
Through August 2026, as a chart of Data Center construction starts spending shows, new US Data Center builds are moving away from the coasts and towards the Midwest and Southern sections of the country. Power Infrastructure construction continues to accelerate nationally. ConstructConnect forecasts a 30.1% increase in Power Infrastructure starts in 2027 compared to full-year 2026. The ramp-up has followed rapid data center construction, which continues to strain the electrical grid. Image and Data: ConstructConnect Data Center Report
The project has drawn backing from the local Tehachapi-area Economic Development Corporation, which unanimously voted to support the Terra-Gen development ahead of the county's approval.
The company is committing to preserving over 400 acres of project land for the local Joshua trees and transferring any trees that must be removed during development.
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