$340 Million Solar-Powered Project Set to Power Las Vegas Casinos

The parent companies of some of our best sports betting sites will soon be finding their power from a new source.

Estuary Power has closed financing with $340 million in funding for its solar power project in Lincoln County, Nevada, which it will deliver in partnership with Bechtel. The company announced the financial package in a press release.

Bechtel is an engineering company focused on renewable energy sources, and Estuary Power has chosen it to work on this project. Jill Daniel, founder and CEO of Estuary Power, explained: “We chose Bechtel to design and construct Escape [Solar project] because of our long, trusted relationship and Bechtel’s heritage of designing and constructing the most difficult projects in the world with excellence and professionalism. In a challenging sector, we have every confidence that Bechtel will deliver Escape for our customers.”

Bechtel currently has ten solar facilities actively being built or planned. Once these projects are complete, they will generate renewable energy for over half a million homes each year. 

The Escape Solar project in Nevada plans to build a 225-megawatt direct current photovoltaic (PV) solar facility on 900 acres. The facility will feature approximately 389,000 PV solar panels, which are to be bifacial, absorbing sunlight from both sides. This will increase the amount of renewable energy generated by Escape, which in turn may help decrease greenhouse gas emissions. 

Kelly Brown, the Operations Manager of Bechtel’s Renewables & Clean Power business, commented, “Bechtel is delighted to be joining a fantastic team to deliver clean power to Estuary’s customers in southern Nevada. Our commitment to our customers, Estuary and Ullico, with whom we’ve worked closely for 20 years, is to bring our best talent and industry-leading digital processes to deliver fast and effective results. We look forward to building a facility that will generate renewable energy for decades to come and add to Nevada’s successful history of renewable power generation.”

MGM Resorts International, Overton Power District, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Las Vegas are amongst the major Nevada sports betting customers expected to benefit from Escape.

Record Growth for Solar Energy in the United States

2024 was a year of record growth, as solar energy accounted for 64% of all new electricity-generating capacity added to the United States’ national grid. This increase means that approximately 37 million homes nationwide can now be powered by solar energy.

The solar manufacturing industry also experienced major growth, as solar module production capacity reached nearly 40 gigawatts by the autumn of 2024. The Solar Energy Industries Association forecasts an average annual increase of 43 gigawatts between 2025 and 2029, and Bechtel and Estuary Power are hard at work making that estimate a reality.

MGM Resorts Signs Solar Agreement

MGM Resorts International, one of the customers set to benefit from Escape, has already signed a 25-year agreement to access solar electricity produced by Escape. MGM Resorts International agreed to the deal during a strong period for the company, announcing record revenue totals in Q3 2024. 

“This agreement is the next step toward the achievement of our climate goals. We have our eyes on meeting our science-based targets and goal of sourcing 100% of our electricity in North America from renewable sources by 2030,” said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts, in a press release.