Panamint Starts $1.7B Big Rooter Solar Build

Construction began July 23, 2026, on a 1.2GW solar project at the Twin Oaks power station site in Robertson County, Texas.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Data Centers

Wide view of tilted solar trackers in rows across flat Texas grassland, with a steel transmission tower and distant oak line under golden light. — Panamint Capital began construction on July 23, 2026, on a $1.7 billion, 1.2-gigawatt solar project at Robertson County's Twin Oaks site in Texas. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you expect your electricity bills to rise over the next few years?

Panamint Capital has begun construction of the US$1.7 billion Big Rooter Power project, a 1.2GW solar photovoltaic development at the Twin Oaks power station site in Robertson County. The project is being built in two phases and is supported by SOLV Energy as engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Why it matters

The project adds generation capacity in Texas, where electricity demand is rising. It also pairs solar generation with battery storage and data centre capacity under development at the same site.

The project includes approximately two million First Solar panels and more than 34,000 tonnes of domestically manufactured steel, with 400 MW / 1.6 GWh of combined battery storage. Panamint estimates Big Rooter West alone will contribute more than US$66 million to the local economy over its lifetime, though the stub does not detail how that estimate was derived.

The players

Panamint Capital

Panamint Capital is the developer behind the Big Rooter Power project and has identified data centre capacity under development at the Texas site.

SOLV Energy

SOLV Energy is an engineering, procurement and construction contractor selected by Panamint for the Big Rooter project.

First Solar

First Solar is a major solar panel manufacturer that will supply approximately two million panels for the two project phases.

Nextpower

Nextpower is a solar equipment supplier providing NX Horizon tracker systems for the installation.

The details

Panamint is using existing land and infrastructure at the Twin Oaks power station and the Calvert Mine, located roughly halfway between Dallas and Houston. Nextpower will supply NX Horizon solar tracker systems, and the project includes a new 20-mile 345kV transmission line.

July 23, 2026: Construction of the Big Rooter Power project officially began.
December 2026: Construction of Big Rooter East is expected to begin.
August 2028: Big Rooter West is scheduled to begin commercial operations.
August 2029: Big Rooter East is targeted for commercial operations.

The Tech Race

The Big Rooter project pairs utility-scale solar tracked by NX Horizon systems with co-located battery storage, a model increasingly used by developers seeking firm capacity from renewables. Its use of domestically manufactured panels and steel also reflects the supply-chain emphasis seen in recent U.S. solar build-outs.

Texas residents may see added grid capacity from the project as Big Rooter West and Big Rooter East come online in 2028 and 2029. The project's construction is expected to create more than 800 jobs during the build period.

The takeaway

Large solar projects increasingly bundle storage and new load, so their output and local benefits will depend on how these co-located pieces are finished and connected to the grid.

What happens next

Construction of Big Rooter East is expected to begin in December 2026, and Big Rooter West is scheduled to reach commercial operations in August 2028.