Complete civil packages for utility solar across Arizona: clearing, mass grading, access roads, collection trenching, SWPPP, fencing, and substation civil.
Backwell is a civil site work general contractor serving utility solar EPCs building in Arizona. We contract complete civil packages: clearing, mass grading, access roads, trenching and underground utilities, erosion control and SWPPP, fencing, and substation civil, all under one contract with Backwell field leadership on site.
Arizona is one of the largest utility-scale solar build markets in the United States, and the 2026 to 2028 pipeline is driven by two utility procurements plus data center load growth in the Phoenix metro. Arizona Public Service signed agreements for roughly 7,300 MW of new supply through its all-source RFP, including about 2,480 MW of solar under power purchase agreements, with projects such as Ironwood Solar and the Pioneer Clean Energy Center in Yuma County moving through construction. Salt River Project announced an agreement with NextEra Energy Resources in April 2026 to develop 3,000 MW of utility-scale solar in Arizona through 2034, at roughly 500 MW per year starting in 2029, and separately announced the SunDog Energy Center with Invenergy in Pinal County. Most of the new capacity is sited on flat desert terrain in Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma and La Paz counties, with additional approved projects in Navajo and Cochise counties. Civil scope on these sites is typically mass grading, access and haul roads, drainage and detention, erosion control, trenching and pad work, all under desert soil and monsoon runoff conditions.
Solar EPCs and developers usually search by the county or the nearest town to the site. These are the Arizona markets we cover:
We price the package as one scope under one contract, so the EPC has a single point of responsibility for the civil critical path instead of managing separate clearing, earthwork, and utility subcontracts.
Backwell superintendents, project managers, and lead operators run every site. We mobilize company equipment for the core scope and scale each project with leased production fleets, qualified regional subcontractors, and agency-placed field staff, all under Backwell supervision and a single contract.
Contractor licensing. Yes. Arizona requires a contractor license issued by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC). For commercial civil sitework the relevant classification is the commercial A General Engineering license, which covers fixed works, streets and roads, power and utility plants and related infrastructure, and which also carries the scopes of the A-4 through A-19 subclassifications including A-5, excavating, grading and oil surfacing. A contractor may alternatively hold a specific A subclassification such as A-5 rather than the full A. Licensure requires documented trade experience, passing the Business Management exam and the applicable trade exam, and a license bond.
Construction stormwater. AZPDES Construction General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater, issued by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). Coverage is required for construction disturbing one acre or more, or less than one acre if part of a larger common plan of development or sale, and it also covers temporary concrete, asphalt and material plants set up exclusively for the permitted project. The operator files a Notice of Intent with ADEQ certifying that a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan has been developed and will be followed. Backwell carries the SWPPP scope, installs and maintains the controls, keeps the inspection log, and closes the permit out with final stabilization.
Prevailing wage. Federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements apply through the Inflation Reduction Act to projects of 1 MW and larger that claim the full investment or production tax credit, so certified payroll is standard on utility-scale solar in Arizona. On top of that, Arizona has no state prevailing wage law for state or locally funded public works, and Arizona statute preempts local governments from adopting their own prevailing wage ordinances. In practice the wage determination governing an Arizona solar site comes from the federal IRA requirement or from the owner or EPC contract, not from a state schedule. Davis-Bacon also applies directly on federally funded or federally assisted work. For projects claiming the full ITC or PTC, Backwell produces Davis-Bacon certified payroll, pays the applicable wage determination, and supports apprenticeship labor-hour compliance.
Send plans, a scope of work, and the schedule through the form below or call (315) 400-2654. We review the civil package, walk the site if it is at that stage, and return a scoped proposal with a schedule of values, stated fill allowances, and unit rates for overages. A one-page capability statement is available for prequalification files.
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