After years of relentless effort, strategic coordination, and unwavering teamwork, the final phase of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project in Maine has officially concluded. This marks a significant achievement in Avangrid and NECEC’s commitment to advancing and creating sustainable and reliable energy infrastructure.

The NECEC project began in 2020 and was marked with numerous obstacles — creating just the kind of scenario that provides Irby crews a chance to shine. As a whole, this project showed how Irby can successfully team up with companies from all kinds of industries and backgrounds. By bringing together different skill sets and experiences, we built a strong, unified crew focused on getting the job done right. That kind of success comes from having solid leadership in the right places — people who know how to guide a team and keep things moving. Every challenge was handled with precision, a strong commitment to safety, and a shared goal of building something great together.

Spanning 145 miles of rugged terrain from Lewiston, Maine, to the Canadian border, this ambitious transmission project is now complete and was energized in late November. The successful wrap-up of this final phase represents not only a technical triumph but also a testament to the dedication and resilience of the entire Irby and subcontractor project team.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the onsite construction crews and project management teams whose tireless work made this milestone possible. Their professionalism and perseverance were instrumental in overcoming the challenges of this complex build. We would also like to thank our key subcontractors whose efforts made this project a success as well: AFP (JV of Aldridge & MJ Electric), Probst Electric, Maine Drilling & Blasting, and On-Target.

A farewell celebration showcased members of our joint venture (JV) team and NECEC representatives. It was a great way to commemorate the end of a transformative journey and the beginning of a cleaner energy future.

Irby Construction Company is pleased to announce that Westley Spickard has been named President, effective July 1, 2025.

Westley is no stranger to Irby; he was part of our team from 2021 to 2023, when he served as Senior Operations Manager. Since then, he has continued to grow within the Quanta family, holding leadership roles at MG Dyess and most recently serving as Vice President of Electric Power Operations for Quanta’s South Region, during which time we worked together frequently.

With over 17 years of leadership experience in project management and operations, Westley returns to Irby with a better understanding of not only our industry but also our distinctive company culture and the opportunities for growth at Irby Construction Company. 

“One of the most important things I bring back to Irby is a true understanding of what a unique place this is to work,” he shared. “I intend to preserve and strengthen the culture that makes Irby such a great company to work for while empowering our people to manage our growth effectively.”

Under Westley’s leadership, Irby is well-positioned to build on its legacy with a renewed focus, driving operational strength, strategic growth, and emerging opportunities in the power infrastructure industry.

When catastrophic flooding struck the Texas Hill Country in the early morning of July 4, Legend Foundation Services saw its chance to return the generosity they have seen first hand.

In just days, the Legend team began mobilizing to help. Mechanic Dustin Vice answered the call Monday afternoon, July 7. Irby Construction Senior Vice President Brian Beck had a simple and urgent request: Could Dustin put together a crew to help flood victims in the Texas Hill Country?

“I jumped at the opportunity,” Vice recalls. That evening, he gathered his family and began loading supplies. By Tuesday night, a six-man crew from Legend was driving close to 600 miles from Geismar, Louisiana, to Comfort, Texas—their cook trailer and 20-foot enclosed trailer packed with everything needed to feed a community in crisis. There were eight 160-quart ice chests full of meat, vegetables, and fruit, along with paper goods and other supplies… CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story. 

Irby Construction Company, a premier utility infrastructure solutions provider, has joined forces with SMT Energy and CenterPoint Energy to officially break ground on SMT Houston IV, a 160 megawatt / 320 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located in the Houston Zone of the ERCOT market.

This landmark project underscores the critical role of grid-scale energy storage in advancing reliability and resiliency across Texas. Once operational, SMT Houston IV will be capable of delivering fast-response power during peak demand periods, supporting grid stability and resiliency and renewable integration.

Irby Construction is serving as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor, bringing substantial expertise in electrical infrastructure to the project. SMT Energy, through its affiliate SMT Houston IV LLC, is the project owner and developer. CenterPoint Energy serves as the interconnecting utility, integrating the system into Houston’s broader electrical network.

Construction will begin this month and is expected to be complete in early July. “We’re excited to work with SMT on this project. We have invested a year of hard work to ensure that the project is engineered efficiently, and we are ready to get our boots on the ground and start construction,” said Amanda Cobb Davis Irby Director of Operations for Battery Energy Storage Systems.

A groundbreaking ceremony, held on-site in Houston, featured a symbolic cord-cutting in place of the traditional shovel ceremony—signifying a bold step forward into a more electrified and flexible energy future. Representatives from all three organizations were present, along with key project stakeholders.

“This groundbreaking reflects years of detailed planning and collaboration with CenterPoint Energy, Harris County, FlexGen, and Irby Construction Company. Our focus now shifts to executing a tightly managed construction phase, prioritizing safety, quality, and schedule from the first day on site through commissioning.” said Kevin Midei, SMT Senior Vice President of EPC. “We are proud to be underway and deliver this grid strengthening project to Houston.”

“Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration and forward-thinking infrastructure come together to power a more resilient energy future. At CenterPoint, we recently completed nearly 90 percent of our overall grid resiliency improvements. This is one more action we are taking to build a more resilient and reliable grid to better serve our customers,” said Tony Gardner, SVP & Chief Customer Officer, CenterPoint Energy.

SMT Houston IV will contribute significantly to ERCOT’s ancillary services markets, deliver high-speed grid balancing, and help mitigate the effects of load volatility and renewable intermittency.

Irby was among the first in the industry to construct BESS projects. In 2019, the company began construction on the Manatee BESS site with Florida Power and Light (FPL). It was the world’s largest BESS project at the time. Since then, Irby has built over 30 BESS sites, with more than 20 currently under construction or under contract.

Beginning in Texas on January 20, a powerful winter storm moved eastward, bringing record-breaking snowfall to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and even Florida. Between January 20–22, hundreds of locations along the Gulf Coast reported new single-day snowfall records, marking this as one of the most significant winter storms in Southern United States history.

Beaumont, Texas saw its snowiest day since the Valentine’s Snowstorm of 1895 with 5.2 inches. 11.5 inches fell in New Orleans, Louisiana breaking their record of 8.2 inches, and Pensacola, Florida saw an astounding 10 inches, rivaling their record of 3 inches from the same snowstorm in 1895.

In response to the storm’s impact, Irby deployed 15 crews for two days in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area to assist with restoration efforts. Thank you to all our employees who step up to the occasion and for being the Absolute Performers we know you are.