OCI Holdings breaks ground on Texas solar project amid AI power boom

OCI Holdings’ U.S. subsidiary OCI Energy broke ground Tuesday in Wharton County, Texas, on the 260-megawatt SunRoper solar project. The 50-50 joint venture with Arava Power is designed to begin commercial operations in 2027 and power about 60,000 households. The company said the project reflects rising U.S. solar demand driven by AI data centers. It also said the shift toward direct operation is meant to create more stable, contract-based cash flow.

The SunRoper project spans 1,714 acres in Wharton County, Texas.

The companies secured project financing through a long-term power purchase agreement signed in February with a Fortune 100 company.

OCI Energy has developed utility-scale solar projects in Texas since 2012 and says it has developed and sold about 2 gigawatts of capacity in the U.S. market.

OCI Energy said it completed development of 480 megawatts across SunRoper, Pepper and Lucky 7 last year, and sold Pepper and Lucky 7 to Sabanci Renewables.

OCI Energy’s current development pipeline totals 6.3 gigawatts across 30 U.S. projects, including 3.1 gigawatts of solar and 3.2 gigawatts of energy storage.

Published Sep 3, 2026 11:22 am KST

OCI Holdings Chairman Lee Woo-hyun, center, and OCI Energy President Sabah Bayatli, third from right, pose with other participants at the groundbreaking ceremony for the SunRoper solar project in Wharton County, Texas, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of OCI Holdings

OCI Holdings' U.S. subsidiary OCI Energy broke ground Tuesday (local time) on the 260-megawatt SunRoper solar project in Wharton County, Texas, as rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers drives growth in renewable power, the Korean company said Thursday.

The project, a 50-50 joint venture with Israeli renewable energy developer Arava Power, spans 1,714 acres and is scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2027. Once completed, it will generate enough electricity to power about 60,000 households.

The companies secured project financing based on a long-term power purchase agreement signed in February with a Fortune 100 company. The buyer was not disclosed.

OCI Holdings Chairman Lee Woo-hyun attended the groundbreaking ceremony along with OCI Energy President Sabah Bayatli and Arava Power CEO Ilan Zidkony.

OCI Energy has developed utility-scale solar projects in Texas since 2012, developing and selling about 2 gigawatts of capacity in the U.S. market.

Its business has accelerated over the past two years as AI data center construction has increased demand for renewable power in Texas. Last year, the company completed development of 480 megawatts across three major solar projects — SunRoper, Pepper and Lucky 7. The latter two were sold to Turkish energy developer Sabanci Renewables.

Earlier this year, OCI Energy sold a 50 percent stake in the 500-megawatt La Salle solar project, which is also being developed with Arava Power. The project is expected to break ground later this year and begin commercial operations in 2028.

La Salle is in talks to secure a power purchase agreement with one of the so-called Magnificent Seven U.S. technology companies, according to people familiar with the matter.

OCI Energy is also expanding into energy storage. It is developing the Alamo City energy storage project, with a capacity of 120 megawatts and 480 megawatt-hours, with CPS Energy and LG Energy Solution Vertech. Unlike its traditional develop-and-sell model, OCI Energy plans to retain and operate the facility, marking a shift toward an owner-operator strategy.

OCI Energy currently has a development pipeline of 6.3 gigawatts across 30 U.S. projects, comprising 3.1 gigawatts of solar and 3.2 gigawatts of energy storage.

The company aims to have 15 gigawatts of projects under development and more than 2 gigawatts of operating assets by 2030.

"Solar demand in the U.S. is accelerating as AI data centers drive up power consumption," Lee said. "Project SunRoper reflects our shift from a develop-and-sell model toward direct operation, which opens up new, recurring revenue streams."

The company expects the shift to generate more stable, contract-based cash flow and improve profitability as it expands its portfolio of power purchase agreement-backed operating assets.

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OCI Holdings旗下美国子公司OCI Energy周二在德克萨斯州沃顿县为装机容量260兆瓦的SunRoper太阳能项目举行了奠基仪式。该项目是OCI与Arava Power各占50%股份的合资企业，计划于2027年投入商业运营，届时将为约6万户家庭供电。OCI表示，该项目反映了人工智能数据中心推动的美国太阳能需求增长。该公司还表示，转向直接运营旨在创造更稳定、基于合同的现金流。

SunRoper 项目位于德克萨斯州沃顿县，占地 1714 英亩。

这些公司通过2月份与一家财富100强公司签署的长期购电协议获得了项目融资。

OCI Energy 自 2012 年以来一直在德克萨斯州开发公用事业规模的太阳能项目，并表示已在美国市场开发和销售了约 2 吉瓦的容量。

OCI Energy表示，该公司去年完成了SunRoper、Pepper和Lucky 7三个电站共计480兆瓦的开发，并将Pepper和Lucky 7电站出售给了Sabanci Renewables公司。

OCI Energy 目前在美国有 30 个开发项目，总装机容量为 6.3 吉瓦，其中包括 3.1 吉瓦的太阳能和 3.2 吉瓦的储能。

发布于2026年9月3日上午11:22（韩国标准时间）

周二（当地时间），OCI控股公司董事长李宇铉（中）和OCI能源公司总裁萨巴赫·巴亚特利（右三）与其他嘉宾在德克萨斯州沃顿县的SunRoper太阳能项目奠基仪式上合影。图片由OCI控股公司提供。

韩国公司 OCI Holdings 周四表示，其美国子公司 OCI Energy 于周二（当地时间）在德克萨斯州沃顿县破土动工，兴建装机容量为 260 兆瓦的 SunRoper 太阳能项目。人工智能 (AI) 数据中心不断增长的电力需求推动了可再生能源的发展。

该项目是与以色列可再生能源开发商 Arava Power 的 50/50 合资项目，占地 1714 英亩，计划于 2027 年开始商业运营。建成后，它将产生足够的电力，可供约 6 万户家庭使用。

这些公司通过2月份与一家财富100强公司签署的长期购电协议获得了项目融资。买方身份未予披露。

OCI控股董事长李宇铉与OCI能源总裁Sabah Bayatli和Arava Power首席执行官Ilan Zidkony一同出席了奠基仪式。

自 2012 年以来，OCI Energy 一直在德克萨斯州开发公用事业规模的太阳能项目，在美国市场开发和销售了约 2 吉瓦的容量。

过去两年，随着人工智能数据中心建设推动德克萨斯州对可再生能源的需求增长，该公司业务发展迅猛。去年，该公司完成了三个大型太阳能项目——SunRoper、Pepper 和 Lucky 7——的开发，总装机容量达 480 兆瓦。其中，后两个项目已出售给土耳其能源开发商 Sabanci Renewables。

今年早些时候，OCI Energy出售了其与Arava Power合作开发的500兆瓦La Salle太阳能项目50%的股份。该项目预计将于今年晚些时候破土动工，并于2028年投入商业运营。

据知情人士透露，拉萨尔正在与所谓的“美国七大科技公司”之一洽谈购电协议。

OCI Energy也在拓展储能业务。该公司正与CPS Energy和LG Energy Solution Vertech合作开发阿拉莫城储能项目，该项目装机容量为120兆瓦，储能容量为480兆瓦时。与传统的开发销售模式不同，OCI Energy计划保留并运营该设施，这标志着该公司向业主自营模式转变。

OCI Energy 目前在美国有 30 个开发项目，总装机容量为 6.3 吉瓦，其中包括 3.1 吉瓦的太阳能和 3.2 吉瓦的储能。

该公司目标是到 2030 年拥有 15 吉瓦的在建项目和超过 2 吉瓦的运营资产。

李表示：“随着人工智能数据中心推动电力消耗增长，美国对太阳能的需求正在加速增长。SunRoper项目体现了我们从开发销售模式向直接运营模式的转变，这将开辟新的、持续的收入来源。”

该公司预计，随着其扩大以购电协议为支撑的运营资产组合，此次转变将产生更稳定的、基于合同的现金流，并提高盈利能力。

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