Texas Set to Remain Wind Power Leader in U.S.

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Texas easily eclipses other U.S. states when it comes to the amount of wind-generated power. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), if Texas were a country, it would have the fifth-highest wind generation capacity in the world. And this capacity is only growing. The EIA reports that Texas' wind capacity grew nearly 17% in 2019, rising from 24.1 gigawatts (GW) in 2018 to 28.1 GW in 2019.

Texas is an ideal place for wind generation, and in April 2019, when Texas hit peak monthly wind generation of 7,900 gigawatt-hours, the state's windfarms ran at an overall utilization rate of 44%. According the EIA, "Monthly wind capacity factors in Texas are slightly higher and less variable than in the United States as a whole."

Click on the image at right for a comparison of Texas' wind power capacity utilization factors versus the U.S. average in 2019.

Based on information about planned utility-scale wind additions, the energy agency estimates that 5 GW of wind capacity will be installed this year and 3.6 GW in 2021. Industrial Info is tracking slightly less than $31 billion in active wind power projects in Texas, about $6.3 billion of which is set to kick off in the next 12 months.

Among the projects that could kick off in the coming year is NextEra Energy Resources' (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) planned windfarm near Axtell, near Waco in central Texas, away from the better-known wind regions of West Texas and the Panhandle. The facility will use 107 2.8-megwatt (MW) wind turbines to generate about 300 MW. Construction is tentatively set to kick off in third-quarter 2021, which would put it on a path to completion in late 2022. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Wind projects planned to kick off early next year include some from Tri Global Energy LLC (Dallas, Texas) in West Texas. The 175-MW Appaloosa Run windfarm near Rankin will use 70 2.5-MW wind turbines, and the 150-MW Water Valley Wind Energy Center in Tom Green County will use 75 2-MW turbines. Both projects are set to be completed by the end of next year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Appaloosa Run and Water Valley wind projects.

Also planned to kick off in the coming year is Apex Clean Energy Incorporated's (Charlottesville, Virginia) White Mesa Windfarm in Ozona, about 115 miles southeast of the Midland-Odessa region. The windfarm will use 200 2.5-MW wind turbines to generate 500 MW. The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The influx of windfarms into West Texas, home to the largest portion of the Permian Basin, could prove to be a much-needed boon to the region. Prices and demand for oil plummeted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to have a fairly slow recovery, causing exploration and production companies to cut billions of dollars from their near-term budgets. In an anecdotal story recently printed in Texas Monthly, the author discusses going into a store, and where he would have expected to see roughnecks who worked the rigs, saw instead workers wearing the garb of wind energy developers.

Outside of West Texas, the Panhandle and region immediately southeast of it remain popular wind destinations. Such projects include BayWa AG's (Munich, Germany) WKN Amadeus Windfarm near Clairemont, about 80 miles southeast of Lubbock. The facility will use 89 2.8-MW wind turbines to generate approximately 249 MW. Rosendin Electric (Anaheim, California) is providing engineering, procurement and construction services on the projects, which kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed by yearend. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.