Last week, MGM Resorts International launched its 100-megawatt solar arrangement, the industry’s biggest directly sourced renewable electricity project in the world. The array’s clean energy provides up to 90% of MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas daytime power needs. This covers 65 million square feet of buildings across 13 properties on the Las Vegas Strip — including ARIA, Bellagio, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York New York and Park MGM. MGM’s Mega Solar Array features 323,000 panels arranged across 640 acres.
The Mega Solar Array project was developed in partnership with Invenergy — a leading, privately held developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions — and structured through a 20-year power purchase agreement.
“With MGM Resorts’ significant scale and resources, we’re positioned to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change, and we recognize our responsibility to build a more environmentally sustainable future,” said CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle. “Today, we’re marking a significant step forward in our environmental sustainability initiatives in Las Vegas and our long-term vision to protect the planet and achieve an enduring, positive impact in our communities worldwide.”
Along with the City of Las Vegas’ own efforts to reduce tourists’ resource consumption and move towards renewable energies, MGM’s new solar array marks a milestone in the company’s climate strategy and important progress in achieving its goals. MGM aims to reduce emissions by 45% by 2025, source 100% renewable energy in the US, and 80% worldwide by 2030.
So far, the company has committed to invest over $60 million to upgrade energy efficiency in its US properties (2017-2019), pursue green building certification for all developments since 2009, launched the US’s largest contiguous rooftop solar array on a convention center (2015) and transitioned to distribution-only service in its local utility grid (2016).
MGM Resorts’ ambitious goals, along with the 100-megawatt array, highlights and strengthens the company’s commitment to Focused on What Matters, its social impact and sustainability platform.
