McCarthy, a privately owned national construction company, has been selected by Lightsource bp as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for two utility-scale solar parks in Texas.
McCarthy is responsible for the planning, procurement, construction and commissioning of the facilities. The 163 MW Elm Branch Solar Farm is located approximately 40 miles south of Dallas in Ennis, Texas and the 153 MW Briar Creek Solar Farm is located 60 miles south of Dallas in Corsicana, Texas. Construction on the two projects has recently started and is expected to be completed in September. Commercial operation of both solar parks is expected to take place at the end of the fourth quarter. With more than 360,000 installed solar modules on around 1,350 hectares of land, the Elm Branch solar park is expected to generate 272,000 MWh of solar power per year.
McCarthy's renewable energy and storage team plans to hire around 500 craftsmen to build the two projects, most of whom will be recruited through the new recruitment program for veterans from the area and the military veteran community experience in utility-scale solar construction.
"We're grateful to be part of delivering clean energy and jobs to these Texas communities," said Scott Canada, executive vice president of the McCarthy renewable energy and storage team. “With utility-scale solar jobs growing in Texas and across the country, we are continually working to help local artisans, veterans, and displaced persons from other sectors join our solar project teams and receive the training needed to develop rewarding careers as they grow Renewable Energy Sector. "
Lightsource bp develops the funding, owns and operates the Elm Branch and Briar Creek facilities. The two projects together represent a $ 380 million investment in new local energy infrastructure for Texas. The projects will also provide local economic benefits beyond clean and economical electricity for the greater Dallas Fort Worth area.
Since 2010, McCarthy's renewable energy and storage team has completed more than 50 utility-scale clean energy projects in communities across the country, providing total capacity of more than 4.9 GW of power generation and over 340 MW / 770 MWh of energy storage. According to McCarthy, the company provides EPC services for utility-scale solar projects to private solar developers and utilities, helping them cost-effectively clean the communities in which they operate.