Signal Energy, the Chattanooga-based leading contractor in the renewable energy industry, is partnering with Intersect Power to perform the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) activities for five new solar projects in California and Texas. These solar plants will produce enough energy to power nearly 357,000 homes annually.
Signal Energy has been working with Intersect Power over the past 18 months to design the massive projects. Construction on the sites is slated to begin in 2020.
“Our relationship with the members of Intersect Power is built on many years of trust, collaboration and successful execution. The Intersect team has once again demonstrated that they are an innovative leader in the development and financial structuring of renewable energy projects,” said Greg Pawson, president of Signal Energy. “We are extremely proud to be chosen as its preferred EPC partner. Intersect Power brought us into their development process very early as a true partner, which provided the opportunity to jointly create the best solution for each project, resulting in the greatest value for the entire team.”
“Deep partnerships with the most innovative, reliable and collaborative suppliers gives us confidence that these power plants will reliably perform at the top end of expectations and maximize the financial returns to long-term equity investors and asset owners,” said Sheldon Kimber, CEO and cofounder of Intersect Power.
This large portfolio of projects has a combined capacity of more than 1.7 gigawatts (GW)DC. Signal Energy will install more than 3.7 million solar modules over an area totaling roughly 15 square miles across five projects in two states. The cumulative output of the five solar plants will power the equivalent of nearly 357,000 homes and result in approximately 2.75 million tons of avoided CO2 emissions per year. Plans for the solar plants include:
- A project in Borden County, Texas, located northeast of Midland. The plant will have an installed capacity of 425 megawatts (MW) and is scheduled to begin construction in February 2020.
- A project in Culberson County, Texas, located east of El Paso. The plant will have an installed capacity of 375 MW and is scheduled to begin construction in March 2020.
- A second project in Culberson County. The plant will have an installed capacity of 250 MW each year and is scheduled to begin construction in June 2020.
- A project in Riverside County, Calif., southeast of Los Angeles. The plant will have an installed capacity of 350 MW and is scheduled to begin construction in June 2020.
- A second project in Riverside County. The plant will have an installed capacity of 300 MW and is scheduled to begin construction in October 2020.
“Working on this portfolio of projects has certainly been a remarkable experience,” said Karl Schadlich, Preconstruction Manager of Signal Energy overseeing the projects. “This portfolio will be one of the largest ever contracted in the United States. We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic customer that encourages us to bring creative solutions to the table while maintaining a highly efficient and collaborative relationship. Our teams integrate well with one another, and it’s truly exciting to witness our partnership and these projects come to life.”
Signal Energy has extensive experience constructing renewables projects in Texas and California and has been recognized by Solar Power World as a leading solar EPC for seven consecutive years. In 2018 the company opened an office in Australia, where it is constructing two solar projects, including the Darlington Point Solar Farm, a 333 MW solar plant in New South Wales, and the Finley Solar Farm, a 175 MW power plant in the township of Finley.
To read more about this gigawatt-scale EPC effort, click here.
