WATSONVILLE, CA — Granite announces that it has been awarded an approximately $31 million Early Works Grading Package by Hydrostor for its Willow Rock Energy Storage Center (WRESC) Project, located north of Rosamond in Kern County, California.

The Willow Rock Energy Storage Center is a planned 500 MW Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage facility in the Mojave Desert, capable of powering more than 400,000 homes for eight hours.

Granite’s scope includes construction of early site infrastructure on the 89-acre project site, including a 9-acre pad to support the subsurface contractor’s work to drill and excavate a 1.3-million-cubic-yard cavern approximately 2,000 feet below the surface. Additional work includes offsite road improvements, onsite stormwater basins, and laydown areas for subsurface mining materials and topside EPCM contractors staging materials for construction of the four-turbine energy storage facility.

“This award aligns with Granite’s strategic focus on growing specialized private-sector work with clients that value construction expertise, collaboration, and problem-solving,” said Darryl Ebel, Granite Area Manager. “We are proud to bring our Bakersfield team’s site development experience to a project designed to support California’s long-term energy storage needs.”

Granite’s early works grading phase of the project began in July 2026 and is planned to conclude in March 2027.