Backwell is a civil site work general contractor serving utility solar EPCs building in Texas. 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.
The Texas Utility Solar Market
Texas is the largest utility-scale solar construction market in the United States and accounts for roughly 40 percent of the national build in 2026. Industrial Info Resources reports it is tracking 37 utility-scale solar projects valued at 12.8 billion dollars set to be completed in Texas in 2026. Activity is concentrated in two bands: a Central Texas cluster along the I-35 and Brazos corridors in Bell, Milam, Falls, Hill and Navarro counties, and a West Texas and Panhandle band in Pecos, Reeves, Ward, Scurry, Swisher, Childress and Deaf Smith counties. Data center load growth is now pulling new solar and storage into the Panhandle, including large campus projects in Deaf Smith County. Most of these sites are flat to gently rolling agricultural or ranch land, which puts clearing, mass grading, access roads, drainage, erosion control and pile-ready subgrade at the front of the schedule.
Where the Work Is in Texas
Solar EPCs and developers usually search by the county or the nearest town to the site. These are the Texas markets we cover:
- Navarro County: Navarro County is the highest profile Central Texas solar construction site right now. Matrix Renewables and SOLV Energy broke ground in May 2026 on the 457 MWdc Tormes Solar project southeast of Barry and west of.
- Bell County: Bell County publishes its own running list of solar projects, which is unusual and makes the pipeline unusually visible. That list shows five projects in the active category and several more pending, totaling well.
- Milam County: Milam County has the deepest project count in the Central Texas cluster, with local reporting counting 28 solar facilities planned in the county alone. Ferrovial announced a 250 MW solar facility here representing.
- Falls County: Falls County is one of the four Central Texas counties inside the cluster that local reporting describes as more than 60 energy farms in planning or development. ERCOT lists 14 solar projects in various phases of.
- Hill County: Hill County sits between the DFW load center and the Waco corridor with existing high voltage transmission running through it, which places it inside the same Central Texas solar development band as Navarro, Bell,.
- Pecos County: Pecos County is one of the original West Texas utility solar counties and still one of the largest by installed capacity, with high irradiance and low cost open ranch land. Completed builds here include a 327 MW.
- Scurry County: Scurry County ranks 22nd of all 3,221 US counties in solar generation, driven by Intersect Power building the Lumina complex near Snyder. Lumina Solar reached commercial operation at 828 MWp and 640 MWac and created.
- Reeves County: Reeves County pairs some of the best solar resource in Texas with existing Permian Basin transmission and industrial load. RWE brought the 100 MW West of the Pecos project online here, roughly 120 kilometers.
- Ward County: Ward County sits in the heart of the Permian Basin with high irradiance, flat open land and dense existing transmission built for oil and gas load. It is a logical extension of the Pecos and Reeves solar corridor and.
- Swisher County: Swisher County in the Texas Panhandle has become a repeat solar county for Vesper Energy. Hornet Solar came online in April 2025 at 600 MW with 1.36 million modules across more than six square miles, and Vesper has.
- Childress County: Childress County sits on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle renewable corridor, where strong solar resource, low land cost and wind era transmission and interconnection infrastructure overlap. It falls inside.
- Deaf Smith County: Deaf Smith County is the clearest case of data center load pulling new Panhandle generation. Google, Intersect Power and construction contractor Blattner held public meetings on Project Roman near Hereford, a roughly.
- Brazoria County: Brazoria County anchors solar development on the Gulf Coast side of ERCOT, close to Houston industrial load and existing transmission. Leeward Renewable Energy is building the 200 MW Cradle solar plant here, and.
- Gonzales County: Gonzales County holds the single largest Texas solar project reported to be finishing inside this window. Industrial Info Resources identifies Enbridge's 600 MW Clear Ford Creek solar project in Gonzales County as.
Towns We Serve in Texas
Corsicana, TXKerens, TXRice, TXBlooming Grove, TXTemple, TXBelton, TXKilleen, TXHolland, TXRockdale, TXCameron, TXMilano, TXThorndale, TXMarlin, TXRosebud, TXLott, TXGolinda, TXHillsboro, TXWhitney, TXItasca, TXAbbott, TXFort Stockton, TXIraan, TXBakersfield, TXCoyanosa, TXSnyder, TXHermleigh, TXIra, TXFluvanna, TXPecos, TXBalmorhea, TXToyah, TXOrla, TXMonahans, TXBarstow, TXGrandfalls, TXWickett, TXTulia, TXHappy, TXKress, TXSilverton, TXChildress, TXCarey, TXKirkland, TXQuanah, TXHereford, TXDawn, TXSummerfield, TXFriona, TXAngleton, TXFreeport, TXLake Jackson, TXAlvin, TXGonzales, TXWaelder, TXNixon, TXSmiley, TX The Civil Package We Contract
- Clearing and grubbing: tree and brush removal, stump grubbing, grinding or offsite disposal, topsoil stripping and stockpiling
- Mass grading: cut and fill to design grade, pile-plan grading tolerances, subsoil decompaction on agricultural ground, compaction testing coordination
- Access roads: permanent and temporary aggregate roads, geotextile and geogrid placement, crane paths, culverts and low-water crossings, public road entrances
- Trenching and underground: DC and AC collection trenching, conduit and cable installation support, road crossings and bore coordination
- Erosion control and SWPPP: silt fence, check dams, sediment basins, stabilized construction entrances, inspections and log maintenance, final stabilization with seed and mulch
- Fencing: perimeter security fence, gates, and temporary construction fence
- Substation civil: pad excavation and structural fill, grounding grid trenching, fence, stone surfacing, and access road to the substation yard
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.
Delivery Model
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.
- Backwell field leadership on every project: superintendent, project manager, and lead operators are Backwell personnel
- Leased equipment at scale: production fleets sized to the earthwork volume and the schedule
- Qualified regional subcontractors: prequalified local firms for defined scopes such as fencing, seeding, and hauling, managed by Backwell
- One contract: the EPC or owner holds a single agreement with Backwell for the full civil package
Licensing, Stormwater, and Prevailing Wage
Contractor licensing. Texas does not issue a statewide general contractor or general engineering contractor license, so commercial civil sitework requires no state contractor license. Licensing in Texas is trade specific: electrical work is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, plumbing by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and sealed design work requires a Texas Professional Engineer registered with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Cities and counties can require their own contractor registration, bonds and permits, so registration is handled jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Out of state contractors register with the Texas Secretary of State to transact business and should confirm Texas Comptroller franchise tax standing.
Construction stormwater. Construction stormwater in Texas is permitted under the TPDES Construction General Permit, number TXR150000, issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Utility-scale solar sites disturbing five acres or more are large construction activity and require a Notice of Intent, a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, a posted site notice and a Notice of Termination at completion. Sites between one and five acres are small construction activity with a site notice and SWPPP. TCEQ is the delegated permitting authority in Texas, not EPA Region 6. 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 solar facilities of 1 MW AC and larger that claim the full investment or production tax credit, which covers essentially every project on this list. That means Davis-Bacon rates for the county, weekly certified payroll, and qualified apprentice labor hour percentages flowed down to subcontractors. Texas has no state prevailing wage law that reaches privately owned solar projects. Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 requires prevailing wage only on public works contracts let by the state or a political subdivision, with rates set by the awarding public body, so it does not apply to private utility-scale solar. In practice the IRA requirements are the operative wage and recordkeeping driver on Texas solar. 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.
Other Solar Markets We Serve
How to Engage Us
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.