Construction has started on Arevon Energy’s Kelso 1 & 2 solar projects in Scott County, Missouri, according to a May 1 news release from the Scottsdale, Arizona-based renewable energy developer.
The $500 million, 430-megawatt project is Arevon’s first utility-scale renewable energy project in Missouri. The renewable energy arm of Primoris Services Corp., a Dallas-headquartered utility and energy contractor, is building both phases, per the release. Arevon will own and operate the facilities.
The project will employ more than 450 workers during peak construction, primarily sourced from local areas, according to the release. Last year Arevon signed a long-term purchase agreement with Meta for the Kelso Solar Project that will provide its operations in the region with 100% renewable energy.
“Kelso Solar marks Arevon’s entrance into Missouri and when operational, will boost the state’s installed solar capacity by almost 50 percent. This major project furthers Arevon’s growing presence in the Midwest region of the United States, which is a priority market for our company’s development activities,” said Arevon CEO Kevin Smith in the release.
Arevon is expanding its presence in the Midwest, according to the release. The firm is currently constructing four other solar projects totaling 744 megawatts in Indiana with capital costs of more than $1.1 billion.
The first phase of the project is anticipated to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the second phase following shortly after in Q1 2026, Arevon said.
U.S.-generated renewable energy has tripled in the past decade and most of the states with the biggest increases in solar, wind and geothermal energy production are in the South and Republican-led, according to The Guardian. However, the outlook for the solar industry has become clouded by Trump administration policies targeting renewables and boosting fossil fuels, as well as uncertainty over the future of clean energy tax credits.
