What's Happening
A $1.7 billion construction of a solar and battery storage plant is underway in Texas, transforming coal mining lands into a clean energy generation hub. Panamint Capital announced the start of the 1.2-gigawatt Big Rooter Power solar plant in Bremond, halfway between Dallas and Houston. The project will utilize part of the land and assets from the Twin Oaks coal-fired power plant and the Calvert open-pit coal mine, both of which will continue to operate.
Panamint's clean energy plant will be one of the largest in the country and, according to the developer, the largest solar array ever built on a brownfield site in North America. Panamint CEO Apolka Totth highlighted that deploying new capacity at existing energy sites is the clearest way to benefit communities, consumers, and the environment.
Why It Matters
The giant installation will give an additional boost to Texas's solar sector, which is expected to generate more electricity than coal this year. The renewable energy source is helping to meet the state's energy demand, driven by data centers, manufacturing facilities, and increased air conditioning use amidst more frequent and extreme heatwaves.
Panamint, backed by private equity fund KKR, was launched in 2019 with the goal of extracting more life from existing fossil fuel infrastructure while building low-emission facilities at the same sites. In 2023, Panamint acquired the Twin Oaks coal plant and Calvert mine with the express intention of leveraging the site's existing characteristics to massively and rapidly expand generation capacity at the lowest possible cost.
The Mechanism/Science Behind It
The Big Rooter project will include 1.6 gigawatt-hours of battery storage and 20 miles of new extra-high-voltage transmission lines. The investment firm claims it also has the infrastructure and access to natural gas necessary to build at least 800 megawatts of gas generation, either for the grid or for clients like data center developers.
The combination of solar plants with active coal operations makes Big Rooter unique within the small but growing coal-to-solar subset in the US, which has mainly focused on placing panels on abandoned mine lands and decommissioned industrial sites.
Bigger Picture
The largest of these projects is the 186-megawatt Tilden Solar Project in southern Illinois, followed by the 111-megawatt Martin County Solar Project in eastern Kentucky, both of which came online last year on top of abandoned coal mines.
In Texas, the Big Rooter Power project stands out for its magnitude and combination of energy sources. As the solar sector continues to grow, the persistence of coal as an energy source is a reminder of the complexities of the energy transition.
What's Next
Construction of the Big Rooter Power solar plant is underway, with the first phase, 491 megawatts, scheduled to come online in August 2028. Construction of the second phase, 658 megawatts, is set to begin in December and could start producing energy in August 2029.
As the project advances, it will be important to monitor its impact on the region, including job creation, economic growth, and carbon emission reduction. Additionally, the combination of energy sources on the site could serve as a model for other regions seeking to diversify their energy mix.
Conclusions and Perspectives
The Big Rooter Power project is a concrete example of the ongoing energy transition in the US. The combination of solar plants with active coal operations can be seen as a step in the right direction, but it also raises questions about the persistence of coal as an energy source.
As the energy sector continues to evolve, it will be crucial to follow projects like Big Rooter Power and assess their impact on the environment, local communities, and the economy as a whole.
Source / Reference
This story was originally published by Grist with the title 'This Texas coal mine will soon be home to a 1.2GW solar farm' on August 2, 2026.