Bechtel has been selected to build Cutlass Solar Two, a 272-MWDC solar facility for Sabanci Renewables in Fort Bend County, Texas. Bechtel built the first Cutlass Solar project in 2021. The Fort Bend facility will be the first utility-scale solar project in the United States for Sabanci Renewables, a subsidiary of Turkish company Sabanci Holding. Sabanci Renewables will own and operate the facility.
Bechtel’s scope includes engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and project management for the Texas facility. Project construction will begin in the first quarter of 2023 with completion of the project expected in the second quarter of 2024. The solar energy generated at Cutlass Solar Two will connect to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ Houston Zone, providing enough electricity to power approximately 40,000 homes.
“Bechtel is honored to partner with Sabanci Renewables to support a clean energy future,” said Kelley Brown, EPC operations manager, North America Core Renewables at Bechtel Infrastructure. “Bechtel’s use of new technology in robotics and digital management will help move Cutlass Solar Two from construction to operations in record time, bringing additional renewable energy generation to Texas.”
Bechtel offers cutting-edge innovation, such as automated equipment for efficiency and use of robotics for digital mapping, to deliver world-class renewable energy facilities. Bechtel has developed and built high-quality renewable energy assets by deploying streamlined integrated project development and EPC solutions for customers in the market facing constraints amidst unprecedented global demand for clean energy.
“Sabanci and Bechtel closely collaborated to develop the project on a record schedule, and we are confident our partnership will successfully deliver our first U.S. renewable energy facility as planned,” said Ismail Bilgin, CEO of Sabanci Renewables, Inc. “Bechtel’s strong reputation for successful EPC execution, including its global supply chain expertise, its ability to attract and train local workforce, and its reputation to self-perform design and construction of clean power facilities across the U.S. made them the right choice to build the project. We believe this is the start of a long-lasting partnership developing renewable energy projects in the U.S.”
Bechtel will engage regional vendors in Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast states and implement training programs for local community residents. During construction, Bechtel will employ more than 200 people from the local area including electricians, operators, safety professionals, solar installers and general laborers. Local and on-site training will be provided to all project personnel focusing on quality inspections; OSHA Safety; First Aid/CPR; and solar-specific installation, tools and equipment operation.
Bechtel Enterprises, the company’s project development and financing arm, was instrumental in the development of the Cutlass Solar Two project.
“Bechtel is advancing local decarbonization and resiliency efforts throughout the United States by efficiently creating new clean energy projects with our integrated development plus EPC approach,” said Matt Strangfeld, managing director of clean energy development at Bechtel.
News item from Bechtel
