Solar and battery plant facilities will make their way to Central Texas by virtue of a $1 billion investment made by petroleum products company, Chem-Energy.
This investment will build two plant facilities that generate a combined capacity of 400 megawatts or 800 megawatts per hour for energy storage and 600 megawatts for solar energy. The infrastructure will be built in Caldwell County starting in Spring 2022.
The first facility, set up at about 3,511 acres close to Uhland, is expected to be in operation by 2023.
The two facilities are expected to provide grid stability and clean energy to benefit the Electric Reliability of Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the states energy grid.
Choosing Caldwell County
Robert Hayward, Chem-Energy Corporation COO, said that Caldwell County is a perfect place to build and start energy production operations in Texas. He added that the Texas Innovation Corridor is a great and ideal environment to grow the organization with a few points that decided the location as the best place.
Factors such as the availability of a growing land region, its proximity to the prominent Texas State University, and a durable pipeline made the most significant contribution to the final decisions of the two plant facilities location.
The project will employ 400 permanent workers to boost the project for the first year. One facility will house the energy storage training course and pioneering standardized solar cells.
Several companies will take charge of the project. Its primary builder and engineer for solar facilities will be Mortenson Construction. Meanwhile, Kore Power will develop NMC batteries used for energy storage.
For office administration, maintenance, operations, and support, Invenergy Services will take the lead. Lastly, Soundgrid will be assigned project management, technicalities, and overall support.
Innovative work on solar power
In an interview, a business development executive for Mortenson Construction, Brad Heitland said that Chem-Energys innovative work on solar power will be a facility design never before seen. In other words, the facilities to be built are approached in a very innovative way that will pioneer the future of solar energy manufacturing.
Heitland added that solar energy projects are usually more complex and large-scale than most power generators. This project will serve as the new standard of energy production for the Texas Innovation Corridor and the rest of the state.
