Texas solar project secures $1.8B green loan to link with coal plant

· Energy · United States

The 1.2 GW Big Rooter Power solar project in Texas has secured a $1.8 billion green loan. The project is owned and funded by Panamint Capital and will connect with the 342 MW Twin Oaks coal plant, creating a hybrid power station. The items do not give the construction schedule, the loan's lenders or the terms. Co-locating large solar capacity with an existing coal plant lets the site share grid interconnection and infrastructure, a structure developers are pursuing as interconnection queues lengthen. The immediate effect is financing secured for one of the larger solar builds tied to a fossil plant; next comes construction and how the hybrid site is dispatched and contracted.

Why it matters：Pairing utility-scale solar with existing fossil plants is emerging as a way around grid interconnection bottlenecks, so financing terms here are a test case for hybrid projects elsewhere.

Key points

  • The solar project is 1.2 GW and owned by Panamint Capital.
  • The Twin Oaks coal plant has a capacity of 342 MW.
  • The green loan totals $1.8 billion.

Sources (original reporting)

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