Panamint Capital, backed by private equity firm KKR, has initiated construction on the Big Rooter Power solar farm in Bremond, Texas, a $1.7 billion project spanning 10,000 acres. The 1.2-gigawatt installation will be built on land adjacent to the Twin Oaks coal-fired power plant and Calvert surface coal mine, both of which will remain operational. The developer claims the project represents the largest solar array ever constructed at a brownfield site in North America.
The solar installation will be developed in two phases, with the first 491-MW section targeting completion in August 2028 and the remaining 658 MW expected online in August 2029. The site will also incorporate 1.6 gigawatt-hours of battery storage and 20 miles of extra-high-voltage transmission lines. Panamint has indicated the infrastructure could support an additional 800 megawatts of natural gas-fired generation capacity. The project comes as Texas is expected to generate more electricity from solar than coal this year, driven by demand from data centers, manufacturing, and increased air-conditioning use during hot weather.
Paramount’s approach represents a growing trend of converting coal mining sites into renewable energy installations. Other notable projects include the 186-MW Tilden Solar Project in Illinois, the 111-MW Martin County Solar Project in Kentucky, and the 240-MW Dolet Hills Solar Project in Louisiana. However, Big Rooter is distinguished by its continuation of active coal operations alongside new solar generation.
The project secured federal incentives before policy changes took effect, including a 50% investment tax credit as an energy community project. Despite federal solar and wind tax credit reductions and cancellations of clean energy grants by the Trump administration, states including Ohio and Colorado have enacted laws supporting renewable development on former industrial sites. The developer argues the solar array will produce sufficient carbon-free electricity to offset the coal plant’s annual emissions, reflecting Texas’s continued reliance on diverse energy sources despite expanding renewable capacity.
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