Black Mountain Excavation utilizes K-Tec scrapers in Major Solar Project
Before the panels, there was the dirt work.
Rosenort, Manitoba — April 17, 2026
The Black Hollow Sun project has reached a major milestone. In late March, project partners announced that the final solar panel had been installed at the site near Severance, Colorado, marking another big step toward full commercial operation in the second half of 2026. Once complete, the two-phase complex is expected to total 257 Megawatts, making it one of the largest solar projects in Colorado.
For K-Tec, that milestone is also a reminder of what it takes to get a project like this off the ground. Utility-scale solar starts long before panel installation. It starts with site preparation, mass grading, road construction, and moving serious volume efficiently and consistently across a large footprint. That work is what set the stage, and Black Mountain Excavation was right in the middle of it.
On its project page, Black Mountain Excavation describes Black Hollow as one of its most ambitious solar projects to date. The company says the work included moving over 1.2 million yards of earth and building 15 miles of access roads to prepare the site for installation and keep crews and materials moving safely across the project. BME also points to the challenge of maintaining consistent, high-quality grading across such a large jobsite.
That is where K-Tec equipment played a key role.
BME CEO Dalston Zimmerman says the company was running five K-Tec 1233 scrapers along with an 18-ft wide K-Tec land leveler and K-Tec Ox Block, adding that just about everything attached to their tractors came from K-Tec. For a project that demanded production, consistency, and uptime, that kind of fleet mattered.
Zimmerman also explains what pushed BME further into tractor-pulled scraper work. After seeing the size difference between a K-Tec pan and a traditional CAT 627 scraper, he decided to take the leap. For him, the value came down to scale, simplicity, and efficiency—being able to move big dirt with a setup that made sense for the job.
That story fits the scale of Black Hollow Sun itself. When the project launched in July 2024, Platte River Power Authority said the development near Severance would utilize nearly 1,400 acres and supply power to its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland. At the time, Platte River said Phase I would deliver 150 MW, with Phase II adding 107 MW for a total of 257 MW.
ContourGlobal said Black Hollow Sun entered commercial operation in September 2025, and with the last panel now installed on Phase II, the full complex has moved into energization and commissioning ahead of expected full operation in the second half of 2026.
The finalized project will generate about 608 GWh per year and produce enough electricity to serve more than 73,000 homes and businesses across Platte River’s communities.
For BME, the project is a strong example of how earthmoving productivity affects everything that comes after it. On a job like this, road access, grade accuracy, and cycle efficiency are not background details—they are the backbone of the entire site.
Zimmerman also highlighted the practical side of the K-Tec setup. Pointing out the low-maintenance benefits of the scraper setup, including minimal greasing points and straightforward daily operation. His overall takeaway is simple: “K-Tec equipment is easy to maintain, easy to hook up, and easy to run.” That kind of simplicity matters when contractors are chasing production every day. Zimmerman contrasts the setup with twin-engine self-propelled scrapers, pointing to the fuel savings, reduced engine-related repair exposure, and lower maintenance burden that come with a tractor-and-pan approach. On large-scale earthwork, those efficiencies add up fast.
As Black Hollow Sun moves closer to full operation, the finished panels tell only part of the story. Before the renewable energy milestone, there was the earthwork milestone: the cut, the grade, the haul roads, and the daily dirt moved to prepare the site properly. Black Mountain Excavation delivered that groundwork, and K-Tec equipment helped make it happen.
For K-Tec, Black Hollow Sun is another example of where scraper productivity fits into the future of infrastructure. Solar may be the headline—but earthmoving is what makes the headline possible.
For further information, please contact:
Mike Thiessen,
Director of Marketing,
[email protected],
+1 204 746 6435 ext 245
