Hazlehurst Solar Facility Receives 2018 Construction Risk Partners Build America Award

STATESBORO, Ga. - Feb. 28, 2018 - PRLog -- The Hazlehurst Solar Facility 71 MWdc in Hazlehurst, Ga., was recently awardeda 2018 Construction Risk Partners Build America Award in the Utility Infrastructure - New category.

The Construction Risk Partners Build America awards honor members of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) who build the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions. McCarthy Building Companies constructed Hazlehurst Solar Facility, which completed in April 2017 on 480 acres, consisting of approximately 630,000 solar panels and making it one of the largest solar projects in Georgia.

Build America winners excel in the areas of state-of-the-art advancement, project management, innovation in construction techniques or materials, safety record, client service, community relations, environmental sensitivityandpartnering excellence.

In the words of AGC's Past President J. Doug Pruitt, these projects, with their vision, scope and grandeur literally dare to challenge, dare to change. Chosen by contractors, recipients of the Build America Awards have demonstrated the very best when it comes to building a better America and improving our quality of life.

McCarthy Building Companies Inc. completed the Hazlehurst Solar Facility in partnership with Silicon Ranch and Green Power EMC. The facility will provide clean power at cost-competitive rates to Green Power EMC for the next 30 years.

Silicon Ranch Corporation, a Nashville-based renewable energy provider, selected McCarthy's Phoenix-based Renewable Energy team as the Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) contractor. The construction firm was responsible for the design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover of the solar project to developer Silicon Ranch, which owns and operates the facility.

Construction began in April 2016 on the 480-acre utility-scale solar energy plant in Jeff Davis County and is expected to generate more than 134 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually to customers of Green Power EMC. During the eight-month construction period, more than 300 workers were employed, the majority of whom are local area residents.

In recent years, McCarthy's Renewable Energy Team has completed or is in the process of constructing more than 30 utility-scale clean energy projects in communities from coast to coast, a combined capacity of more than 1.3 Gigawatts (GW) of clean energy production. Since 2015, the firm's Southeast operations has completed or is in the process of constructing more than 12 solar projects throughout the region, which includes Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia and the firm's largest project in Georgia.

"McCarthy did an outstanding job on the Hazlehurst II Solar Facility in Georgia," said Silicon Ranch President and CEO Matt Kisber. "McCarthy's partnership has helped us create an award-winning project that is bringing significant environmental and economic benefits to Green Power EMC and its members, the local community, and the surrounding region."

"We are thrilled with this honor and our involvement in this monumental solar project, which is serving more than 8,500 Georgia households," said Kevin Kuntz, president of McCarthy Southeast office. "Solar production in the state is an emerging and important energy solution, and this project is a great example of a collaboration that is helping to enhance our nation's energy infrastructure."

About McCarthy Building Companies

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (http://www.mccarthy.com/) is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that span all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 20th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2017). With approximately 1,700 salaried employees and offices in St. Louis, Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Portage, Ind.; Kansas City, Kan.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Dallas, Houston; Albuquerque; and San Diego, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned (http://www.mccarthy.com/about/employee-owners/). More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mccarthybuilding), Twitter (https://twitter.com/McCarthyBuild), LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/119184?trk=tyah), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mccarthybuild/) and Google+ (http://www.google.com/+MccarthyBuilding).

About Silicon Ranch Corporation

Silicon Ranch Corporation, based in Nashville, Tenn., is one of the fastest-growing developers, owners, and operators of solar energy plants in the U.S. Silicon Ranch develops to own all of its projects for the long-term and brings the economic, environmental, and community benefits of commercial and utility-scale solar energy together in a full-service model that requires no capital investment from its stakeholders. Silicon Ranch benefits from the experience of its management team that has built over 2.5 gigawatts of conventional and renewable generation assets, including the first large-scale solar projects in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Silicon Ranch is a Platinum Associate member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. More information is available at www.siliconranchcorp.com.

About Green Power EMC

Green Power EMC was the first green energy provider in Georgia.  It was created by Georgia's EMCs in 2001 and has been selling green energy since 2003.  Green Power EMC obtains green power from renewable energy facilities throughout Georgia, including solar power, low-impact hydroelectric, landfill gas, and biomass from wood waste. For more information about renewable energy efforts in Georgia, visit www.greenpoweremc.com.