If it weren't for the rows of soon to be erected photovoltaic panels, this wind-driven ranch in Florida would probably have been difficult to write about in international financial news. Its next identity has been written: to supply power to a data center park with a total capacity of up to 500MW. On October 14, 2026, Uruguayan President Armando Orsi announced that Spanish renewable energy company Solaria Energ í a y Medio Ambiente will invest $5.7 billion here to develop a photovoltaic powered data center park. The Uruguayan government claims that this is the largest investment in the country's history.

A record breaking amount of money

Out of the $5.7 billion plate, approximately $5.5 billion will be invested in data centers, and another $200 million will be used to support photovoltaic power plants. The project will be promoted in two phases: the first phase includes a 200MW data center capacity and a 350MW photovoltaic power generation capacity, planned to be completed in 2029 or 2030. The construction is scheduled to start in March 2027, which will create more than 3000 job opportunities; The second phase will add another 300MW data center capacity and may further expand the photovoltaic scale.

Electricity first, then computing power

Solaria is responsible for developing and operating this free trade zone, providing land, infrastructure, and services to mainstream data center operators, while deploying up to 350MW of photovoltaic installations to power the park. The Uruguayan National Electricity and Transmission Authority (UTE) provides land for the power station and purchases the generated electricity through a 40 year power purchase agreement. Solaria will also construct power facilities connected to the 500kV transmission grid. This strategy is called the electrified land model: first grasp the green power and grid access rights, and then wait for the computing power to land. The infrastructure sector to which this business belongs saw a sales growth of 355% in the first half of 2026. It is worth mentioning that previously, some cryptocurrency mining companies withdrew from Uruguay due to differences in transmission costs and electricity pricing mechanisms, highlighting the value of long-term power purchase agreements in stabilizing expectations.

South American Digital Hub Dream

The project spans across three provinces of Canelones, San Jose, and Florida, with photovoltaics concentrated in Florida. The first phase of the data center is located in Canelones, and the second phase is located in San Jose. Uruguay's confidence comes from its electricity structure: by 2025, 98% of the country's electricity generation will come from renewable energy sources, delivering 13.04 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, including 46% from hydropower, 34% from wind power, 14% from biomass, and 4% from solar power. But a 500MW load is not easy. The country's peak electricity demand in 2025 is about 2507MW, and the park is already a super large user. The power grid must be expanded in advance.

The companions are also rushing over. Google is investing over 850 million US dollars to build a data center in the Canelones Province Science Park, expected to be operational before 2030, making it its second in Latin America; The state-owned telecommunications company Antel is relocating Pando's data center to Canelones. By the end of 2025, Uruguay will have installed 339MW of photovoltaic power, with the goal of adding 500MW to 600MW by 2030.

Uruguayan Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines Fernanda Cardona defined the project as a national level initiative. In her view, this will create value chains, employment, and knowledge for all citizens, reaffirming Uruguay's position as a digital hub and tightly linking renewable energy with network capabilities, talent, and digital economy.Editor/Yang Meiling