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Released May 23, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The power division of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Bechtel (Reston, Virginia) is busy, having just completed a solar project in Texas and gearing up to begin another in Indiana. Bechtel is at work on multiple power projects throughout the U.S., many for solar power construction, but also for a cutting-edge nuclear generation project to provide cleaner energy in place of a retiring coal-fired plant.
Earlier this week, Bechtel announced that it has completed the Cutlass 2 solar project in Fort Bend County, Texas, for Sabanci Climate Technologies (Istanbul, Turkey). Bechtel completed the first portion of the project, the 300-megawatt (MW) Cutlass 1 solar farm in the summer of 2022 and began work on Cutlass 2 in early 2023. For Cutlass 2, Bechtel installed nearly half a million solar panels manufactured by First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) to provide an additional 218 MW of generation from the site.
"We're delighted to get Cutlass Solar 2 to maximum capacity to provide more renewable power for Texans, support America's energy transition, and help achieve the Lone Star State's goal to become the nation's largest producer of solar power," said Scott Austin, Bechtel's general manager of Renewables & Clean Power.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more about the Cutlass 2 project by viewing the project report.
The news of the Cutlass 2 completion comes on the heels of a groundbreaking ceremony held for another solar plant in Posey County, Indiana, on which Bechtel is to begin work. The Posey plant is being built on 2,400 acres and will provide 228 MW of output. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report and May 22, 2024, article - Arevon, CenterPoint Break Ground on One of Indiana's Many Renewable Energy Projects.
Bechtel is at work on a solar power facility in Victoria, Texas, with an accompanying battery energy storage system (BESS), also for Sabanci. The Oriana facility's 500,000 bifacial solar panels will provide 180 MW of power, while the BESS unit will be able to provide up to 60 MW (120 megawatt-hours) in times of high demand or when the sun isn't shining. Work is just getting started, and the Oriana solar and BESS facility is expected to begin providing power in mid-2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the solar generation and BESS components of the project.
In addition to another solar plant in Texas, Bechtel also is expected to begin work on the 200-MW Goldfinch photovoltaic facility near Ainsworth, Iowa, later this year. Unlike the other solar projects, this solar plant is being built for Bechtel's own Renewable Energy Development division. Work on the facility is expected to last until mid-2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
But the solar facilities pale in comparison to a couple of large billion-dollar-plus Bechtel projects, although these have a smaller chance of moving forward as planned. The first of these is for EmberClear's (Houston, Texas) planned Lincoln Land Energy Center near the village of Pawnee, Illinois, about 20 miles from Springfield.
In a website about the project, EmberClear notes that Zone 4 of the MISO grid, which is set to receive the plant's power, only averted a capacity shortfall in 2023 because some planned retirements of plants were delayed. Plant closures and the variable nature of renewable generation have created the need for additional baseload generation in the region. To this end, EmberClear is planning its natural gas-fired Lincoln Land facility, which will use two 570-MW units in a combined-cycle configuration to provide 1,140 MW of reliable baseload power. While the project remains some time from fruition, Bechtel could conceivably begin work on the plant next year, putting it on track for completion toward the end of 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
One of the largest projects in Bechtel's U.S. power backlog remains some years out. TerraPower (Bellevue, Washington) and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Wilmington, North Carolina) have developed their Natrium nuclear reactor technology, which features a sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system. In a nod to increased power needs at peak times and the intermittent quality of renewables, the thermal storage has the potential to boost power output from a base of 345 MW to more than 500 MW for a period of more than five and half hours when needed.
In 2023, TerraPower purchased land in Kemmerer, Wyoming, to construct a plant demonstrating the Natrium technology. The facility is sited near a retiring coal-fired plant and is expected to fill the need for solid baseload power after that plant ceases operations. TerraPower already has signed a memorandum of understanding with a uranium fuel supplier. TerraPower is aiming for a 2030 operation date, but Industrial Info has deemed that this project will be extended further into the future if other small-reactor projects in the U.S. are any guide--that is, if the project gets off the ground at all.
Last year, small modular reactor (SMR) designer NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR) (Portland, Oregon) cancelled a nuclear project planned for Idaho that was to have included six 77-MW SMRs intended to be brought online in 2029. For more information, see November 14, 2023, article - U.S. Small Modular Reactor Movement Suffers Setback with Project Cancellation.
Subscribers can learn more about the TerraPower project by viewing the project report.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Earlier this week, Bechtel announced that it has completed the Cutlass 2 solar project in Fort Bend County, Texas, for Sabanci Climate Technologies (Istanbul, Turkey). Bechtel completed the first portion of the project, the 300-megawatt (MW) Cutlass 1 solar farm in the summer of 2022 and began work on Cutlass 2 in early 2023. For Cutlass 2, Bechtel installed nearly half a million solar panels manufactured by First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) to provide an additional 218 MW of generation from the site.
"We're delighted to get Cutlass Solar 2 to maximum capacity to provide more renewable power for Texans, support America's energy transition, and help achieve the Lone Star State's goal to become the nation's largest producer of solar power," said Scott Austin, Bechtel's general manager of Renewables & Clean Power.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more about the Cutlass 2 project by viewing the project report.
The news of the Cutlass 2 completion comes on the heels of a groundbreaking ceremony held for another solar plant in Posey County, Indiana, on which Bechtel is to begin work. The Posey plant is being built on 2,400 acres and will provide 228 MW of output. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report and May 22, 2024, article - Arevon, CenterPoint Break Ground on One of Indiana's Many Renewable Energy Projects.
Bechtel is at work on a solar power facility in Victoria, Texas, with an accompanying battery energy storage system (BESS), also for Sabanci. The Oriana facility's 500,000 bifacial solar panels will provide 180 MW of power, while the BESS unit will be able to provide up to 60 MW (120 megawatt-hours) in times of high demand or when the sun isn't shining. Work is just getting started, and the Oriana solar and BESS facility is expected to begin providing power in mid-2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the solar generation and BESS components of the project.
In addition to another solar plant in Texas, Bechtel also is expected to begin work on the 200-MW Goldfinch photovoltaic facility near Ainsworth, Iowa, later this year. Unlike the other solar projects, this solar plant is being built for Bechtel's own Renewable Energy Development division. Work on the facility is expected to last until mid-2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
But the solar facilities pale in comparison to a couple of large billion-dollar-plus Bechtel projects, although these have a smaller chance of moving forward as planned. The first of these is for EmberClear's (Houston, Texas) planned Lincoln Land Energy Center near the village of Pawnee, Illinois, about 20 miles from Springfield.
In a website about the project, EmberClear notes that Zone 4 of the MISO grid, which is set to receive the plant's power, only averted a capacity shortfall in 2023 because some planned retirements of plants were delayed. Plant closures and the variable nature of renewable generation have created the need for additional baseload generation in the region. To this end, EmberClear is planning its natural gas-fired Lincoln Land facility, which will use two 570-MW units in a combined-cycle configuration to provide 1,140 MW of reliable baseload power. While the project remains some time from fruition, Bechtel could conceivably begin work on the plant next year, putting it on track for completion toward the end of 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
One of the largest projects in Bechtel's U.S. power backlog remains some years out. TerraPower (Bellevue, Washington) and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Wilmington, North Carolina) have developed their Natrium nuclear reactor technology, which features a sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system. In a nod to increased power needs at peak times and the intermittent quality of renewables, the thermal storage has the potential to boost power output from a base of 345 MW to more than 500 MW for a period of more than five and half hours when needed.
In 2023, TerraPower purchased land in Kemmerer, Wyoming, to construct a plant demonstrating the Natrium technology. The facility is sited near a retiring coal-fired plant and is expected to fill the need for solid baseload power after that plant ceases operations. TerraPower already has signed a memorandum of understanding with a uranium fuel supplier. TerraPower is aiming for a 2030 operation date, but Industrial Info has deemed that this project will be extended further into the future if other small-reactor projects in the U.S. are any guide--that is, if the project gets off the ground at all.
Last year, small modular reactor (SMR) designer NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR) (Portland, Oregon) cancelled a nuclear project planned for Idaho that was to have included six 77-MW SMRs intended to be brought online in 2029. For more information, see November 14, 2023, article - U.S. Small Modular Reactor Movement Suffers Setback with Project Cancellation.
Subscribers can learn more about the TerraPower project by viewing the project report.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
