Solar project near Boardman delivers clean energy, job growth

September 30, 2025

BOARDMAN — A new solar project rising west of Boardman is delivering clean energy, creating hundreds of construction jobs and driving a new wave of investment in Morrow County.

Avangrid Inc., a leading energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group, announced in a press release Sept. 29 that it has begun installing solar panels at its Tower Solar project in Morrow County.

Developed in partnership with Quality Technology Services and Meta, the 166-megawatt direct current (120-megawatt alternating current) project will supply energy to the Portland General Electric power grid and help power a new Quality Technology Services data center campus that will support Meta’s operations in the region.

Trending

Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda in the announcement described the panel installation as a “major milestone” for the project and adds to the company’s growing fleet of energy facilities across the nation.

“Tower Solar will bring much-needed capacity to the regional electric grid, improving the reliability and availability of electricity,” according to Miranda.

SEG Solar will install more than 200,000 solar panels on 900 industrial-zoned acres the Port of Morrow owns. The panels were assembled at the company’s newly built manufacturing facility in Houston.

Avangrid was SEG Solar’s first utility-scale customer to receive solar modules assembled from its new U.S. facility.

Morrow County Commissioner David Sykes said in the announcement the project represents a meaningful step in Morrow County’s continued economic diversification.

“By embracing renewable energy, we’re not only creating jobs and strengthening our local economy, we’re investing in a more resilient future for our citizens,” according to Sykes.

Trending

At the peak of construction, Avangrid expects Tower Solar to create more than 200 jobs, the vast majority of which will be sourced from the region. Tower Solar is expected to pay about $20 million in combined payment in lieu of taxes and property taxes, which will support a variety of public services, including education, according to the press release.

Tag Greason and David Robey, co-CEOs of QTS, said the company remains committed to clean energy solutions and to finding innovative, sustainable ways to serve its customers, the community and the environment.

Tower Solar will deliver energy to PGE’s grid through Green Future Impact, a voluntary program that supports new clean energy facilities in the region to help large commercial, industrial and municipal customers meet sustainability and carbon reduction goals. Subscribers to the Green Future Impact program enroll in a bundled renewable energy product and receive Renewable Energy Certificates tied to the energy the new facility produces. Portland General Electric designed the subscription pricing to prevent cost shifts to nonparticipating customers.