Projects

Bechtel builds Texas solar farm in 13 months thanks to high-tech tactics

Set on 1,100 acres in Fort Bend County, nearly half a million solar panels are now generating enough electricity to power 40,000 homes (Courtesy of Bechtel)
Bechtel credits a comprehensive digital approach for allowing it to finish building a 218MW solar power station in Texas ahead of its 13-month deadline.

Set on 1,100 acres in Fort Bend County, nearly half a million solar panels are now generating enough electricity to power 40,000 homes.

The client is renewable energy developer Sabanci Climate Technologies, a subsidiary of Turkish conglomerate Sabanci Holding.

It aims to develop a 1GW renewable portfolio by 2025.

To meet the deadline, Bechtel used survey robots, drones, and an “every-minute-matters” project ethos, the company said.

It set up a “digital execution hub” to gather data from equipment and people in the field, and feed those data into an interactive, map-based visualisation tool.

Hear the team explain their digital tactics:

Some 300 people worked at the site at peak construction.

Bechtel said around 30% of the project’s professional staff and 15% of craft workers were women, beating the industry average 2.5 times.

The company finished Sabanci’s neighbouring Cutlass Solar 1 plant in January 2023, and will soon start building the Oriana Solar station in Victoria County, Texas, also for Sabanci.

Story for GCR? Get in touch via email: [email protected]

Latest articles in Projects