The companies Google and RWE have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for the total output of a 155-megawatt solar project planned for McCurtain County, marking the major German multinational energy company’s first solar development in Oklahoma.
According to experts, for a 155-megawatt solar project of this size, the footprint usually requires five to eight acres per megawatt.
This is the Crooked Creek Solar Project, located southeast of Broken Bow near the site of the old Craig Plant.
The owners of the project hosted a town hall meeting earlier this year and assured those who attended they had not agreed to sell the power to a data center at that time.
The project is expected to begin construction later this year and enter commercial operation in 2028.
When the facility is completed and operational it will supply electricity to support Google’s operations in the Southwest Power Pool market while adding locally sourced power to the Oklahoma grid.
The announcement, according to clean energy experts, is the latest example of an energy milestone for Oklahoma, which comes from large tech giants such as Google seeking to power the AI boom.
But the push for power arrives during a time when the Southwest Power Pool grid, which includes entire states like Kansas and Oklahoma, alongside portions of 15 others, is facing unprecedented strain, which prompted Oklahoma lawmakers to pass the Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act in the 2026 legislative session.
The law states that rate regulators ensure that residential, commercial, and industrial customers are protected from paying unjust rates resulting directly from electric service to large load customers according to the bill’s language.
Will Conkling, director of energy and power at Google, said supporting a strong, stable, and affordable grid is a top priority as their infrastructure continues to expand.
“Our agreement with RWE adds critical new generation to the local system, boosting the amount of affordable and reliable power supply for Oklahoma and the region,” Conkling said.
During construction, Crooked Creek Solar will employ 250 workers at peak and create an estimated $24.3 million in local economic activity and $1.4 million in state and local tax revenue for McCurtain County.
During the lifetime of the facility, it is projected to bring in $25 million for county programs, local medical services, the Broken Bow school district, and technology education centers.
This project has gone up against opposition. In May, Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, expressed his formal opposition as follows: “There are also major concerns about how construction and operation of such a facility would impact tourism, wildlife, and the natural beauty of the area, which are key features or our region, both for residents and tourists.”
RWE operates 13 gigawatts of installed capacity across 27 states.
RWE Ag is a major German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen, Germany, which was founded in 1898. It has transitioned from a traditional fossil fuel and nuclear power generator into one of the world’s leading companies in renewable energy, focusing on offshore and onshore wind, solar, battery storage, and hydrogen.
