In the flat, windswept expanse of north Texas where the sprawling Pinnington Solar field comes into view, scale is hard to comprehend until you start counting.

The 825-megawatt project – part of the renewable energy portfolio of Repsol — is among the nation’s largest ever and the single biggest commercially operating renewable project in the history of ERCOT, operator of Texas’ power grid.

The roughly 1.5 million solar panels — spanning one-quarter of the equator’s distance if laid end to end — are triple the number that global contractor Black & Veatch had ever installed on a single project. The 100 miles of cable trenching is the equivalent of scaling and descending Mount Everest eight and a half times.

And perhaps most remarkably, the pace to completion defied industry expectations, safely reaching commercial operation 2.5 times faster than comparable megaprojects.

A company called in to deliver

On a smaller, 62.5-megawatt project in 2023 in Jicarilla, New Mexico, Black & Veatch was brought in by Repsol to complete construction and commission the project. Repsol needed a partner who could step in, solve complex challenges and execute efficiently.

The project was finished in a safe, timely manner, and Repsol entrusted Black & Veatch with Pinnington, its largest solar effort yet.

“The Jicarilla and Pinnington projects are perfect examples of how Black & Veatch collaborates with our clients to solve their most complex and urgent challenges” said Anand Pattani, managing director of the energy majors segment at Black & Veatch.

Urgency to action: the Pinnington Solar ramp up

As Repsol’s flagship U.S. project, Pinnington Solar helped anchor its renewable energy portfolio. But the challenges in making it a reality were immediate and significant: an aggressive deadline and a project scale stretching beyond anything Black & Veatch had ever built in the renewable space.

To meet the schedule, the team began engineering work before the full contract was finalized, creatively progressing portions of the work to keep momentum advancing.

Once the full agreement was signed in May 2024, transitioning to action was nearly instantaneous. Crews mobilized within four days, equipment began arriving and the site transformed almost overnight into a coordinated construction effort.

Marshaling a workforce built for speed

Delivering at this scale required more than manpower. It required the right manpower.

As a Black & Veatch construction subsidiary, Overland Contracting Inc. (OCI) brought together experienced craft professionals who previously had worked alongside trusted leaders and had established chemistry, shared standards and a deep understanding of how to execute under pressure.

Daily operations revolved around detailed planning and constant communication. Teams worked from tightly coordinated look-ahead schedules, ensuring that materials, labor and equipment aligned precisely with construction needs.

Vendors were held accountable. Deliveries were sequenced carefully. And across the site, hundreds of workers moved with a shared understanding of what needed to happen — and when.

The result: a level of efficiency that allowed the project to maintain its aggressive pace without sacrificing safety or quality.

When disaster struck, momentum held

Even the most disciplined planning can’t control nature.

In March 2025, a tornado raked the site, destroying one of the project’s 170 solar arrays — ironically, the only one fully completed with module installation at the time.

For many projects, that kind of event would derail progress. At Pinnington Solar, it became a defining moment.

Crews quickly assessed the damage, mobilized resources and began rebuilding while continuing work across other areas of the site. Instead of slowing, the team adapted, layering recovery work into an already fast-moving schedule.

That mindset — shared across leadership, staff and craft — kept the project churning when it mattered most.

Execution that redefined expectations

By the time the project reached completion, it had done more than meet expectations. It reset them.

Pinnington Solar achieved commercial operation in a fraction of the time typical for projects of its size, demonstrating what’s possible when planning, execution and workers — roughly 750 at the project’s peak — all align in sync.

The commissioning effort alone pushed industry boundaries, with teams energizing 170 inverters at a pace rarely seen. Behind that was a constant cycle of planning and replanning, adjusting to weather, logistics and field conditions without losing steam. Teams didn’t just react to challenges but stayed ahead of them.

And when specialized expertise such as engineering support was needed, Black & Veatch’s broader organization provided it, reinforcing and leveraging the strength of its integrated model.

A partnership reinforced

At the May 2026 ribbon-cutting ceremony, Repsol leaders highlighted the infrastructure milestone that pushed the company’s U.S. renewable capacity beyond 2 gigawatts.

Repsol also offered a nod to the team behind it — the planners, engineers and craft professionals, who through their roughly 1.5 million manhours, delivered a project personifying strong morale, team culture, detailed and disciplined planning and execution, and shared commitment.

That recognition mattered to Black & Veatch, reflecting both successful delivery and earned trust in a company that when challenges arise — tight schedules, unexpected disruptions or complex large-scale projects — there’s an EPC leader capable of stepping in and safely delivering.

While building one of the largest solar projects in the country, Black & Veatch and OCI proved that even at unprecedented scale and speed, success still comes down to people aligned, prepared and determined to deliver.

And when they are, even the most ambitious timelines become achievable.