Developers Making Headway on Large Texas Solar Project

Diode Ventures, a Black & Veatch company that develops infrastructure projects, has reached financial close on the Grizzly Ridge Solar Project, a 140 MW development located in Hamilton County, Texas. The project was co-developed with RKB Energy LLC (RKB).

Once complete, Grizzly Ridge will provide power to the ERCOT North Zone

“Grizzly Ridge is one of the first utility-scale solar projects that Diode developed from the ground up, marking a significant milestone for the company when it comes to pure greenfield development projects,” says Brad Hardin, president of Diode. “In Texas, we are seeing more resilient infrastructure development on the horizon to support large-scale energy generation from both renewable and non-renewable sources.”

Diode partnered with RKB – a greenfield, utility-scale solar development company that currently focuses on the West and Southwestern regions of the U.S. – to assist with co-development activities of the project, from origination to sale.

“Diode Ventures has been an excellent partner in the Grizzly Ridge Solar project,” says Robert Schleider, president of RKB. “We are excited to see this project enter the build phase of its life cycle and believe it is a great project for Hamilton County and the State of Texas.”

The project is construction-ready, with an executed interconnection agreement with Brazos Electric Cooperative, the transmission service provider. The area will also undergo an upgrade from 69 kV to 138 kV.

Diode is currently in discussions to add an on-site battery energy storage system to the project.

Original Source: https://solarindustrymag.com/developers-making-headway-on-large-texas-solar-project