# Orion III Solar Project

ERCOT asset profile · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/orion-iii-solar-project

SB Energy · Milam County · ERCOT

Orion III Solar Project is a 250 MWac photovoltaic facility in Milam County, Texas. EIA's May 2026 inventory lists one operating generator under Plant ID 66821, with service beginning in August 2024 and Ben Milam Solar 3 LLC as the registered operator. SB Energy reports a 326 MWdc project rating and identifies Orion III as one of three Orion Solar Belt projects that reached commercial operation in October 2024. The three-project belt totals about 900 MWdc and supplies Google data-center operations; those belt-wide figures are not Orion III-only equipment counts.

## Profile

- **Grid role:** Utility-scale photovoltaic generation in ERCOT.
- **Capacity scope:** 250 MWac in EIA · 326 MWdc on SB Energy's project page.
- **Operating record:** Aug 2024 EIA service month · Oct 2024 Orion Solar Belt commercial-operation announcement.
- **Commercial context:** Orion III is one of three SB Energy projects supplying Google data-center operations.

## Metrics

- **Reported capacity:** 250 MW — EIA-reported operating capacity; nameplate, seasonal, AC/DC, and unit ratings may differ.
- **EIA capacity:** 250 MWac — May 2026 inventory
- **Developer rating:** 326 MWdc — SB Energy
- **EIA service month:** Aug 2024 — Plant 66821
- **Registry anchor:** Plant 66821 — Ben Milam Solar 3 LLC

## Facts

- **EIA capacity:** 250 MWac — EIA May 2026 · confidence: high
- **Developer rating:** 326 MWdc — SB Energy · confidence: high
- **Registered operator:** Ben Milam Solar 3 LLC — EIA · confidence: high
- **Developer and operator:** SB Energy — SB Energy · confidence: high

## Related parties

- **Project company and EIA registered operator:** Ben Milam Solar 3 LLC — EIA May 2026 generator inventory
- **Power purchaser for Orion Solar Belt output:** Google — SB Energy Orion Solar Belt announcement ([source](https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/))

## Sources

- [EIA May 2026 generator inventory](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/) — U.S. Energy Information Administration · regulatory — Current generator records, capacity scopes, dates, status, operator, and technology.
- [SB Energy Orion Solar Belt announcement](https://sbenergy.com/american-made-solar-projects-power-google-data/) — SB Energy · official — Commercial-operation date Google customer and belt-wide scope.

---

Canonical page: https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/orion-iii-solar-project
Website: [SB Energy](https://sbenergy.com/project/orion-iii/)
Profile published: 2026-07-17T03:34:37.809Z
Source: Ask the Grid — https://askthegrid.com/