Complete civil packages for utility solar near Phenix, VA: clearing, mass grading, access roads, collection trenching, SWPPP, fencing, and substation civil.
Backwell contracts complete civil site work packages for utility solar EPCs building near Phenix in Charlotte County, Virginia. One contract covers clearing through final stabilization, with Backwell field leadership on site.
North end of the county on VA 47, well positioned for work toward the Appomattox and Prince Edward line and for crews commuting from Farmville. Aggregate and fuel generally come south from Farmville or north from Keysville.
Publicly reported utility-scale solar in and around Charlotte County:
Project details come from public filings and reporting and are listed to show where the work is. Backwell is not affiliated with these projects or their developers.
Charlotte County is Southern Piedmont upland between the Staunton (Roanoke) River on its south boundary and the Bush and Little Roanoke drainages inland, gently rolling with broad interfluves and moderate slopes rather than the steep relief found further west. Uplands are Cecil, Appling, and Wedowee residuum from felsic gneiss and granite, red to strong brown clay subsoils under sandy loam surfaces, deeply weathered with saprolite often twenty feet or more before hard rock. Flatter divides carry Helena type soils, which have higher clay activity, slower permeability, and a seasonal perched water table that shows up as wet spots on ground that looks dry on the topo. Bottoms along the Staunton and its tributaries are wet alluvium, and terrace positions carry State type loamy soils that are the best natural subgrade in the county.
This is heavy timber country, so clearing and grubbing volumes and burn or chip disposal drive the early schedule more than earthwork does. The Helena bearing flats will not drain on their own: expect to crown access roads, underdrain in low spots, and hold off on trenching those areas until late spring or summer. Mass grading is generally rip and cut with no blasting on the broad divides, but ridge noses can turn to refusal quickly. Erosion control has to be built for the Roanoke basin, which is sediment sensitive downstream into Kerr Reservoir and carries listed fish habitat, so sediment traps and skimmer basins should be sized conservatively at plan stage.
Full detail on the Charlotte County market is on the Charlotte County solar civil page.
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. Virginia requires a contractor license issued by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors. The relevant tier for utility scale solar civil work is the Class A contractor license, which carries no monetary limit on individual project size or annual revenue. The relevant classification for site work, earthwork, and road work is Highway / Heavy (H/H); the qualified individual sits for a trade exam tied to VDOT specifications. Class A applicants must show net worth of $45,000 or post a $50,000 surety bond, and each classification or specialty held requires its own qualified individual with documented experience. Source read: https://virginiacontractorauthority.com/virginia-contractor-license-types and https://www.kmlawyers.com/virginia-dpor-licensing-requirements-for-construction-contractors/
Construction stormwater. The General Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) Permit for Discharges of Stormwater from Construction Activities, commonly called the Construction General Permit or CGP, codified at 9VAC25-880. It is issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) under the State Water Control Board, and is administered locally through Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) authorities. The current reissuance runs July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 and applies to land disturbing activities of one acre or more. Sources read: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/stormwater/stormwater-construction and https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title9/agency25/chapter880/section70/ 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 qualifying facilities of 1 MW or greater that claim the full investment or production tax credit, so certified payroll is the practical default on Virginia utility scale solar regardless of state law. On top of that, Virginia has its own prevailing wage statute at Code of Virginia section 2.2-4321.3, sometimes called the Little Davis-Bacon Act, administered by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI). The state statute reaches public works contracts of $250,000 or more that are paid in whole or in part with state funds, or contracts with a locality that has adopted a prevailing wage ordinance. Privately owned utility scale solar is generally not a public works contract, so the state statute usually does not attach and the federal IRA requirement is the governing one. Sources read: https://doli.virginia.gov/programs/labor-law/prevailing-wage-law/ and https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title2.2/chapter43/section2.2-4321.3/ 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.
All Virginia solar civil work or the national utility solar civil page.
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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