Bechtel, a engineering, construction and project management company, announced it has been selected by Doral Renewables to design and build the Cold Creek Solar+Storage project in Schleicher and Tom Green counties, Texas.
The facility is expected to generate approximately 430 MW of energy using more than 850,000 solar modules. Additionally, the Cold Creek project will feature a 340 MWh battery energy storage system to capture and store excess energy generated during the day and deliver it to the Texas electricity grid when consumer demand peaks.
“The Cold Creek project highlights the power of an all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said Scott Austin, Bechtel General Manager of Renewables & Clean Power. “Texas continues to lead the nation in blending traditional and renewable resources to strengthen its grid. By combining 430 MW of solar generation with 340 MWh of storage, Cold Creek will make the Texas grid stronger and more reliable for years to come. We are proud to bring Bechtel’s experience to this important project and support Doral Renewables’ mission to deliver reliable, homegrown power to Texas.”
Bechtel will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the solar and storage facilities across the two counties, which will deliver power to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid. Cold Creek is Bechtel’s second project with Doral Renewables and its fifth utility-scale solar facility in Texas. Engineering is underway, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2028.
The project could be a sight for sore eyes in Texas: the Lone Star state has been experiencing an increase in cancellations of renewable energy and battery storage projects, meaning a potential slowdown in what has been one of the hottest clean energy markets in the U.S. According to recent analysis from the Institute for Energy Research (IER), developers canceled more than 9 gigawatts (GW) of projects over the early summer, a significant pace not seen since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report, which used data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), found that battery storage has been hit the hardest. 4 GW of battery projects were canceled, along with 3.5 GW of solar farms and nearly 2 GW of natural gas plants. IER attributed the surge in cancellations to a mix of policy headwinds, trade uncertainty, and shifting investment signals.
