Willdan gets limited go-ahead on 643 MW of substation and storage work

Willdan Group has received limited notices to proceed for engineering and procurement on five U.S. substation and battery projects representing 643 megawatts of capacity.

The November 5 announcement covers a transformer substation for a 100 MW data center in California, a 75 MW battery energy storage system in Texas, a transformer substation for 300 MW of renewable generation in Texas, and two Illinois substations supporting 88 MW and 80 MW of renewable generation.

Willdan chief executive Mike Bieber described the assignments as evidence of continuing investment in high-voltage infrastructure. The company did not identify the customers, project locations beyond the states, voltage levels, construction schedules or contract values.

A limited notice to proceed authorizes defined early work; it should not be read as a full construction award or confirmation that every project will reach completion. The disclosed scope is engineering and procurement, and the release does not establish an open bid opportunity for subcontractors or suppliers.

The portfolio is commercially relevant because it links data-center load, renewable generation and storage to new grid-connection work across three states. Willdan announced no dated next milestone. Further customer disclosures, full notices to proceed or construction authorizations would be the next evidence that the individual projects have advanced.