AES has announced the completion of the 1GW Bellefield 1 project in Kern County, in the US state of California.
Bellefield is a two-phase project in which each phase comprises 500MW of solar power and 500MW of four-hour battery-based energy storage, resulting in a total installed capacity of 2GW.
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The second phase of the project, the 2GW Bellefield 2, is set for completion in 2026 and will become the largest solar-plus-storage facility in the US.
Secured by a 15-year agreement with Amazon, it will produce enough electricity to power 467,000 homes and offset more than one million tonnes (mt) of CO₂ emissions every year, contributing towards improved air quality in the region.
The project’s construction phase generated more than 700 union jobs with a further 1,000 anticipated at peak times during subsequent phases, enhancing local employment.
AES president and CEO Andrés Gluski stated: “Completing the first 1,000MW of Bellefield demonstrates how rapidly solar and storage can be deployed to meet the growing energy demand of data centres.
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By GlobalData“Our best-in-class track record of delivering renewables projects on time and on budget is deeply valued by our customers and is one of our key competitive advantages.”
To optimise construction efficiency at Bellefield and enhance system dependability, AES deployed Maximo, an AI-powered robotic assistant designed by the company.
The tool aids on-site workers by enhancing safety measures and increasing speed and precision during the solar module assembly process.
AES has secured contracts with global hyperscalers for more than 10GW of power, including the 2GW Bellefield project. In May 2025, AES agreed to provide 650MW of solar power to Meta’s data centres in Texas and Kansas under two long-term power purchase agreements.
