Orsi signs Solaria agreement for Uruguay data centre project
Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi signed an agreement with Solaria Energía y Medio Ambiente for a data centre campus and solar plant costing US$5.7 billion. The project includes a planned 350-megawatt solar plant, while the opposition National Party has questioned Solaria’s financial capacity and projected job numbers.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Full text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made
View timeline · 2 entriesWhat happened
Key facts
- Yamandú Orsi signed an agreement with Solaria Energía y Medio Ambiente for a project valued at US$5.7 billion (per mercopress.com).
- The planned data centre campus could reach 500 megawatts (per mercopress.com, datacenterdynamics.com).
- The government said the project would create 3,100 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent positions (per mercopress.com).
- Solaria said in a filing with Spain’s securities regulator that the memorandum provides for a power purchase agreement of up to 40 years with state utility UTE (per mercopress.com).
- Solaria said it would develop and operate the free zone and its connection to the transmission grid (per mercopress.com).
- The project is expected to begin construction in 2027 and will use low-water cooling systems (per mercopress.com).
The brief
Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi signed an agreement with Spanish company Solaria Energía y Medio Ambiente for a data centre campus and solar plant valued at US$5.7 billion, according to en.mercopress.com. The project is planned under a free-trade-zone regime and includes data centre capacity of up to 500 megawatts.
The government has described it as the largest investment in Uruguay’s history. The investment plan assigns US$5.5 billion to the data centres and US$200 million to a 350-megawatt solar plant intended to supply the complex. The planned data centre capacity is equivalent to almost one-tenth of Uruguay’s installed power capacity, the outlet reported.
The project’s initial purpose is cloud services, according to the same report. Solaria said in a filing with Spain’s securities regulator that the memorandum provides for a power purchase agreement with state utility UTE for a term of up to 40 years. The company also said it would develop and operate the free zone and arrange its connection to the transmission grid.
The project is expected to use cooling systems that require little water. The government forecasts 3,100 jobs during construction and 1,500 permanent positions. Those are government projections rather than employment already created. Construction is expected to start in 2027, according to en.mercopress.com.
The agreement has drawn questions from the opposition National Party, which plans to summon Industry, the outlet reported. Senator Sebastián Da Silva questioned whether Solaria could finance and carry out an investment of this size, saying he had consulted 10 private analysts and none considered the company capable of taking it on.
He also challenged the government’s projected employment figures. The agreement therefore sets out a large proposed investment, its planned energy supply and operating arrangements, alongside a public dispute about the company’s capacity and the jobs forecast.
The project’s stated terms include a long-term power purchase arrangement with UTE, a solar plant dedicated to supplying the complex, and a free-trade-zone framework. The opposition’s stated scrutiny focuses on Solaria’s financial capacity and the projected employment figures.
Why it matters
- The government’s job forecast amounts to 3,100 construction positions and 1,500 permanent posts; those figures are projections tied to the project.
- The planned 350-megawatt solar plant is intended to supply a campus with capacity of up to 500 megawatts.
- Solaria’s stated arrangement with UTE could run for up to 40 years, linking the project to the state utility through a power purchase agreement.
- The National Party’s planned summons and Da Silva’s public questions place the company’s financial capacity and government employment forecasts under political scrutiny.
What to watch next
- Whether the opposition National Party summons Industry over the project.
- Whether construction begins in 2027, as expected.
- Whether Solaria and UTE establish the stated power purchase agreement of up to 40 years.
- Whether the government’s projections of 3,100 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent positions are borne out as the project proceeds.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details5 source articles · 5 unique outletsCoverage mix: Mostly Right· 1 Center · 2 RightWhere the outlets are based: Unknown 40% · Europe 20% · Other 40%
One source is from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.
How outlets' accounts compare
Timeline
Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.- Uruguay’s Free Zones Law, Law No. 15,921, was enacted on 17 December 1987, allowing designated zones to operate under special tax and customs rules.Background · from our historical context
- Law No. 19,566, passed in 2017, amended that framework.Background · from our historical context
How we got here
Google announced the project in 2019, and Uruguay inaugurated the centre in 2024; its arrival made the country a regional location for major computing infrastructure.
The project sits within a wider energy context: Uruguay’s 2008 National Energy Policy set out a long-term transition, and a 2010 cross-party agreement established goals for diversifying electricity generation and expanding renewables. Uruguay’s Free Zones Law, Law No.
Original sources
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