Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s Nashville-based Silicon Ranch will help power Facebook’s operations in the state.
Company officials will partner with the Tennessee Valley Authority to develop carbon-free energy for a 70-megawatt solar facility in Madison County. This, according to a press release that TVA officials published on their website Thursday.
As The Tennessee Star reported Thursday, Facebook will invest $800 million to build a new state-of-the-art data center in Gallatin. Also as reported, Bredesen, through Silicon Ranch, has personally benefited from solar energy policies he enacted while he was Tennessee’s governor.
“Silicon Ranch will fund construction of the solar facility and will own and operate the plant. The project will create more than 350 construction jobs, with additional employment for ongoing operations and maintenance, including ranchers and farmers to care for the land as part of Silicon Ranch’s holistic approach to land management,” the TVA press release said.
“The facility is expected to come online in fall 2022, with planned interconnection to the TVA grid through the Jackson Energy Authority distribution system, pending environmental reviews.”
Facebook will support all of its operations with 100 percent renewable energy by the end of 2020.
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development officials said this week that more than 1,100 construction workers will work on Facebook’s new 982,000 square-foot facility in Gallatin. The center, located about 30 miles from Nashville, will house various types of workers, including technical operations, electricians, logistics staff, and security.
Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown told The Star in an email Wednesday that the facility is “a huge server farm” that will store and process Facebook’s data and other platforms.
Facebook spokeswoman Melanie Roe said the company started conversing with Gallatin officials in 2017.
As The Star reported in 2018, Bredesen, before he left the governor’s seat a decade ago, had to report about his role at Silicon Ranch to the Tennessee Ethics Commission. Bredesen, however, only made the disclosure because The Tennessean revealed Bredesen’s involvement in the company five days prior.
Silicon Ranch’s website lists Bredesen as the company’s founding chairman and one of seven board members.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Silicon Ranch” by Silicon Ranch.
Go back to your Tea Party Republican friends, Phil! It served you right for losing to Marsha Blackburn–not a dime’s worth of difference between the two of you!
Cronies helping Cronies!
Birds of a feather flock together.
Bredesen the liberal pawn.