Part of a US Navy Air Station outside Fresno in California could be turned into a 425MW data center and solar farm complex.

The Navy is reportedly working on a deal to lease 920 acres of land around Naval Air Station Lemoore, located on the border of Kings County and Fresno County in California, to renewable energy firm Ameresco.

Ameresco will then construct a 425MW solar farm, which will supply power to a 600,000 sq ft (56,000 sqm) data center on the site.

According to the Hanford Sentinal, which first reported on the deal, the solar farm will also offer backup power to the base to improve its resiliency, and supply other customers in the region.

Technical specifications for the data center have not been shared, but the report says it could open next year, and be constructed in five phases of 20-25MW, suggesting a total IT capacity north of 100MW. It will mainly use solar power, with battery energy storage system installed to capture and store energy for periods of low supply.

Overall, the project is expected to create 400 construction jobs. The lease agreement has yet to be finalized, the report added.

Ameresco runs solar projects in the US, Canada and Europe, including at several existing sites in California.

Naval Air Station Lemoore opened in the 1961 and is the US Navy’s largest master jet base. It is home to the Strike Fighter Wing Pacific squadrons.