Leeward Reaches $1.5 Billion, 725 MW Oklahoma Solar Milestone With 525 MW Online for Google and State Utilities
- Capacity & Wholesale Markets News Policy & Markets
Marin Holt
- 0
- 5 minutes read
- Total investment: $1.5 billion
- Portfolio capacity: 725 MW (525 MW operating)
- Under construction: Twelvemile 3, 200 MW
- Construction jobs: 2,000+
- Projected tax revenue: $148.8 million
Leeward Renewable Energy marked $1.5 billion of investment across a 725 MW Oklahoma solar portfolio at a July 7, 2026 ribbon-cutting, with about 525 MW now operating and its 200 MW Twelvemile 3 project under construction. Google anchors offtake across the fleet, while Grand River Dam Authority, American Electric Power, and Oklahoma Gas & Electric each contract additional output. The projects span Mayes, Bryan, and Johnston counties and supported more than 2,000 construction jobs, with a projected $148.8 million in state and local tax revenue over their operating lives.
The Portfolio
The Oklahoma fleet is one of the largest solar portfolios in the state. It comprises Salt Branch Solar 1 and 2 (145 MW combined), Huckleberry Solar (125 MW), Mayes Solar (102 MW), Twelvemile Solar 1 and 2 (153 MW combined), and the 200 MW Twelvemile 3 project, which remains under construction. Roughly 525 MW is generating today, and the full 725 MW comes online as Twelvemile 3 finishes. Chief Executive Jason Allen said the portfolio delivers real operating capacity for Google and long-term value for Oklahoma communities.
A Layered Offtake Model
What sets the buildout apart is its financing structure. A single developer underwrote $1.5 billion of new generation against a mix of hyperscaler and regulated-utility demand: Google’s corporate power purchase agreements anchor the fleet, layered with separate offtake from Grand River Dam Authority, American Electric Power, and Oklahoma Gas & Electric. Spreading capacity across a technology buyer and three utilities lowers merchant-price risk and locks supply for a state where data-center and regional load are climbing fast.
Critical Perspective
Leeward is marking $1.5 billion and a 725 MW milestone, but only 525 MW is generating today, with the 200 MW Twelvemile 3 project still under construction. Google’s anchor contracts give the developer credit backing, yet across the Southwest Power Pool footprint that hosts the fleet, congestion routinely curtails solar, so contracted megawatts and delivered megawatts are not the same thing. Oklahoma has seen this friction before, when the utilities’ purchase of Invenergy’s North Central Wind portfolio drew regulatory scrutiny and contested cost recovery, a reminder that a signed offtake is not grid or regulatory certainty. When Twelvemile 3 lifts the fleet to 725 MW, will the grid move all of it, or does Google’s contract quietly absorb the curtailment risk that ratepayers would otherwise see?
Why It Matters
Corporate demand is now co-anchoring utility-scale generation alongside traditional utility procurement. When a hyperscaler such as Google signs long-term contracts next to Grand River Dam Authority, AEP, and OG&E on the same portfolio, developers gain the credit backing to finance gigawatt-scale solar without waiting on a single regulated buyer. For Oklahoma ratepayers and grid planners, the model adds firm-priced supply against rising data-center load; for the wider market, it signals that hyperscaler PPAs have become a structural pillar of how new US generation gets built.
Sources
- Leeward Renewable Energy / BusinessWire — portfolio milestone announcement (July 7, 2026)
- POWER Magazine — LRE celebrates $1.5-billion investment in 725-MW Oklahoma solar fleet
- PV Tech — Leeward advances 725 MW Oklahoma solar portfolio
- Energy Tech — LRE advances 725 MW Oklahoma expansion to power Google, regional grid
- TechTimes — Oklahoma solar hits 525 MW as Google-backed PPA model reshapes grid finance
