A 1.2GWdc Solar Project Just Broke Ground in Texas. Here’s What Large-Scale Procurement Actually Takes.
July 28, 2026
Panamint Capital has broken ground on Big Rooter Power, a US$1.7 billion, 1.2GWdc solar PV project at its Twin Oaks power station in Robertson County, Texas. At that scale, it's one of the larger single-site solar developments underway in the U.S. right now. For C&I energy buyers and corporate sustainability teams watching the market, a project like this is worth paying attention to, not for the headline number, but for what it signals about how utility-scale solar gets done.
Scale Changes Everything About the Development Timeline
A gigawatt-plus solar facility doesn't appear overnight. Projects at this size typically represent years of site control, interconnection queue navigation, permitting work, and offtake structuring before a shovel touches the ground. Twin Oaks is a site-reuse story: the solar is going onto an existing coal mining site at Panamint's operating power station complex. That existing footprint matters. Grid interconnection is one of the longest lead-time challenges in solar development today, and a site with established energy infrastructure and land control shortens the path, even though this buildout still includes more than 20 miles of new 345kV transmission.
For C&I organizations thinking about large-scale solar procurement, whether through a PPA, a virtual PPA, or direct ownership, the lesson here is straightforward: the projects that reach commercial operation are the ones that started the hard work early. Interconnection queues in ERCOT, like most U.S. markets, are congested. Sites with viable grid access and cleared permitting are a finite resource.
If your organization has a 2027 or 2028 renewable energy target, the window to secure capacity from projects in early development is narrowing, not widening.
Texas Remains a Dominant Market, But Competition Is Real
ERCOT continues to attract large-scale solar investment for good reasons. The grid operates as an energy-only market with competitive pricing dynamics, Texas has among the best solar irradiance in the continental U.S., and the state's regulatory environment has historically moved faster than many other jurisdictions. Robertson County sits in a part of central Texas that combines strong solar resource with reasonable transmission access to major load centers.
But the same factors that make Texas attractive also make it competitive. Developers, utilities, and large C&I buyers are all chasing the same pool of well-sited, well-connected projects. That competition puts upward pressure on PPA pricing for premium projects and makes early offtake conversations more valuable than late ones.
C&I buyers that wait until a project is fully permitted and shovel-ready to engage on offtake terms will consistently find themselves paying more, or losing access entirely. The organizations getting the best structures are the ones willing to engage during development, accepting some project risk in exchange for better economics and terms.
What Legacy Energy Sites Offer That Greenfield Can't
Twin Oaks is notable because the solar is being built on a former coal mining site within an operating power station complex. Co-locating solar at legacy energy sites is a trend worth tracking across the sector. These sites often carry real advantages: existing grid connections, established land control, environmental reviews that can build on prior work, and community relationships that smooth local permitting.
For IPPs and developers, legacy sites can meaningfully reduce development risk and timeline. For offtakers and corporate buyers, that translates to projects that are more likely to reach commercial operation on schedule, which matters enormously when renewable energy commitments are tied to specific fiscal years or public reporting cycles.
Battery energy storage is increasingly part of these site plans as well. A 1.2GWdc solar installation without storage leaves significant value on the table in a market like ERCOT, where price volatility creates strong economic incentives to shift generation into higher-value hours. Twin Oaks is a case in point: Panamint says the completed complex will include 1.6GWh of battery energy storage alongside 1.5GW of operating thermal and renewable power.
What C&I Buyers Should Take From This
Projects at this scale get built because developers made long-term bets on site quality, market fundamentals, and offtake demand. The C&I organizations that benefit most from that investment are the ones that engage early, understand what they're buying, and structure agreements that reflect real project timelines.
A few practical considerations for any C&I team watching large-scale solar development in Texas or elsewhere:
Start offtake conversations during development, not at COD. Projects with strong sites and cleared interconnection attract multiple offtake conversations early. Waiting for a ribbon-cutting means negotiating from a weaker position.
Understand the interconnection status before anything else. Grid connection is the single biggest variable in whether a project delivers on time. Any serious procurement process should include a clear-eyed look at where a project sits in the interconnection queue and what conditions remain.
Think about storage alongside generation. Â In energy-only markets like ERCOT, the economics of solar plus storage are increasingly compelling. If your procurement strategy only accounts for generation, you may be leaving risk management value on the table.
Align your target COD with your reporting cycle. Â If a renewable energy commitment is tied to a specific year, work backward from that date to understand what development stage a project needs to be in today for you to have confidence in delivery.
The Twin Oaks groundbreaking is a reminder that the projects shaping the U.S. solar market over the next three to five years are already in motion. The decisions that determine who benefits from that capacity are being made now, not when the panels go online.