By Jacinto Daniel Durán Sanchez, MBA
CEO, CSI USA Group | Co-Founder, Redtree Engineering | Project Director, Ashalim CSP
Introduction
After sharing my reflections on leading the Ashalim 121 MW Solar Power Tower in the Negev Desert, I was asked a deceptively simple question:“Would you do it again? And what would you do differently?”
The answer is yes, I would do it again—without hesitation. I had the time of my life. But with hindsight comes wisdom. And what I would do differently isn’t about rethinking the mission—it’s about refining the execution.
What follows are 13 lessons I learned—some the hard way—that I would carry into any future first-of-a-kind (FOAK) project, especially in renewable energy and large-scale infrastructure.
1. Build a Culture of Risk Ownership Early, across all team members and partners
FOAK projects are by nature full of uncertainty. Risks must not be treated as side notes. I would invest more early in:
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Creating a risk-and-opportunity matrix, manage, update and use it as a guiding point.
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Embedding it into monthly reporting, ensure the team takes action to consolidate opportunities and mitigate risks.
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Normalizing discussion of risks across all teams.
When risks are visible and owned, projects are stronger and teams are more honest.
2. Strengthen Internal Sponsorship and Executive Shielding
Projects need internal political support—especially when things go wrong. I would formalize executive sponsors earlier, educate them on project risk, and ensure they’re ready to protect the team when surprises arise. A project with strong top-level backing is more resilient than one managed purely from a spreadsheet.
3. Choose Partners with Alignment, Not Just Capability
Choosing the right Owner’s Engineer and subcontractors can make or break a project. Technical capability is only part of the equation—alignment, collaboration, and shared vision matter just as much.
An obstructive Owner’s Engineer, even if technically correct, can derail a project. A supportive one, involved and constructive, accelerates and de-risks it.
4. Change Control, Change Control, Change Control
Changes are the enemy of schedule, budget, and clarity—unless tightly managed. I would:
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Establish “gates” and lock decisions.
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Forbid backward revision unless absolutely essential.
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Enforce discipline with stakeholders.
Change management isn’t just a process—it’s the foundation of execution stability.
5. Address Problems Early—Delay Makes Them Worse
Avoiding conflict only delays the inevitable, similarly happens for "managing" it. At a jobsite, things are grey most of the time. Contractor claims, technical disputes, and design misalignments are best handled early and straighforward. The earlier you negotiate a recovery plan and reset expectations, the cheaper and more enforceable it is.
A sub-contractor that is losing money and is not paid will optimize cost, which usually means cutting on supervision, overtime, and execute slower. Accelerations cost money. Agreeing on a recovery plan, reset critical milestones, get a new updated schedule and resources associated and agree on a full and final settlement to settle all past impacts is critical to move forward and in the best convenience of the EPC and Owner.
A bad agreement is always better than a good litigation.
6. Be Contractual—Structure Letters Like Tools, Not Complaints
Contracts are your shield. When issues arise:
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Pair a technical expert with a contract manager.
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Reference exact clauses in the Contract, indicate clearly what the contractor is expected to do as agreed.
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State clear expectations, actions, and timelines.
Good letters maintain compliance, preserve claims, and often prevent escalation altogether. This is good riddance, not bureaucracy.
7. Protect Your Contingency—It’s Not Extra, It’s Essential
One of my biggest regrets was allowing pressure from the organization to release contingency funds too early—when engineering or procurement looked “under budget” and making savings. Contingency is your shield for construction chaos that inevitably comes. Once it’s moved to margin, reclaiming it is politically and financially painful.
At a construction site things break, are late, change or you are simply blamed with something you didn't generate. Hold the contingency tight. Forecast expected use of it, but don’t give it up until construction is well underway. Preach caution, they will thank you later.
8. Lead from Above—Don’t Abandon Your Role
When your team struggles—especially in an area you know well—it’s tempting to roll up your sleeves and solve it yourself, in particular if it is an area where you are an expert or have experience. But every time you do, you’re not doing your real job as a leader and as a Manager.
Instead, provide direction, assign better resources, and reinforce the team without becoming the team. Leadership means system-building, not firefighting.
9. Distribute Pressure Like a Pyramid—Not an Inverted One
Pressure in a project must be distributed broadly across the organization—not concentrated at the top or bottom.
A healthy team structure spreads responsibility. An inverted pyramid, with one or two people absorbing all the stress, collapses. Leadership is not about carrying everything. Superman doesn’t exist, sorry to break the news!
10. Pilot Before Scaling—Always
Scaling without testing is a gamble. Every major technology used in a FOAK project should have a validated prototype, or pilot data at scale. Sometimes there is a pilot but the project design team decides to change the tested equipment and use a different equipment.
Designing based on wishful thinking and lack of prior testing is a risk too many projects take—and regret.
11. Simulate and Train Before You Commission
One of our best decisions at Ashalim Plot B was to develop a full simulator for the plant. It included real DCS logic, connected all the smaller systems, and full control room simulation. This allowed us to:
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Train operators, test control modes and real life field conditions.
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Debug control logic in advance.
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Avoid costly commissioning errors.
When we initially analyzed, it sounded like a nice-to-have and luxury element. In practice, the simulator paid for itself many times over.
12. Integrate with Caution—Especially When IP is Involved
If you’re integrating proprietary systems across suppliers, anticipate trouble. At Ashalim, we had two separate control systems for the solar field and central plant—because the technology provider feared IP exposure. It created communication gaps, coordination complexity, and serious startup delays.
Plan for integration as if it’s a project of its own—with its own schedule, tests, and escalation path. Simulator also helped on this front.
13. Assemble in the Shop—Not in the Field
On-site assembly is rarely cheaper, quality is always lower. Transportation may and will be more costly, but you are doing yourself a favor. At Ashalim, we chose to assemble both the turbine and auxiliary boiler on site instead of shipping them preassembled. Both were mistakes (bad mistakes):
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The turbine took over 9 months to assemble, exposed to weather and dust.
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The boiler’s 1,000+ tube expansions failed hydro tests repeatedly. Leaks appeared unpredictably.
We lost months and ended up welding tubes—not the original plan. Do as much as you can in the shop. The field should be for connecting and commissioning—not trying to fabricate industrial precision in wind and sand.
Conclusion: Don’t Repeat, Reinvent
If I could build it again, I wouldn’t change the vision—I’d improve the method. Large, complex energy projects will always have risk. The key is to design systems, cultures, and strategies that absorb that risk intelligently. You lead with humility. You manage with clarity. You execute with structure. And above all—you keep learning.
Because every project is a lesson. And every lesson is a chance to build the next one better.
About the Author
Jacinto D. Durán is a civil engineer, MBA, and CEO with over 20 years of international experience in renewable energy, infrastructure, and project execution. He has led teams on multi-billion-dollar projects across four continents and currently heads CSI USA Group, Redtree Engineering, and David E. Wooster and Associates. He lives in Los Angeles and serves on multiple boards across engineering and higher education sectors.