Texas Wind Energy Keeps Spinning as Iberdrola Reinvigorates Projects with $1 Billion

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Texas has spent the past few years shaking off its oil-dependent status and is now the top U.S. state for wind-energy production. Iberdrola S.A. (Bilbao, Spain), one of the world's largest energy companies, is cementing that status by injecting $1 billion into related projects in the Lone Star State, according to the Houston Chronicle. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $25 billion in active wind-energy projects in Texas, including $1.25 billion worth from Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid Renewables (Portland, Oregon).

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 Texas counties for wind-energy projects, by total investment value.

Iberdrola, through Avangrid, has two major projects in development in Texas: the Karankawa Windfarm in Tynan and the Comanche Run Windfarm near Tulia. Industrial Info presently has both projects listed as having a low probability of moving forward, but the renewed interest (not to mention the cash infusion) could improve their odds.

The Karankawa Windfarm, which is currently expected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2019, is designed to generate 200 megawatts (MW) from 75 to 93 turbines. Comanche Run, currently set to kick off in second-quarter 2020, would generate 200 MW from 91 turbines in Phase I and 300 MW from 137 turbines in Phase II. Comanche Run, in particular, is in need of renewed support, as its kickoff has faced more than five years of delays. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Karankawa, Comanche Run Phase I and Comanche Run Phase II.

Iberdrola operates about 6,400 MW of wind-energy facilities in the U.S., according to the Houston Chronicle, but Iberdrola's CEO Ignacio Galán told the newspaper that any offshore development likely is a long way off. The strength of the Lone Star State's onshore facilities, especially in its western half, and the much-higher costs of developing offshore means windfarms will stay high and dry for the foreseeable future.

The only major offshore windfarm projects Industrial Info is tracking in Texas have faced years of delays and are believed to have a low probability of kicking off as planned: the 500-MW Brownsville Windfarm on South Padre Island and the 147-MW Galveston Windfarm near Galveston, neither of which would begin construction until late 2020, at the earliest. Both are from Coastal Point Energy LLC (Lafayette, Louisiana). For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Brownsville and Galveston projects.

The Texas Panhandle makes up the southern end of the U.S. wind corridor, where the generally higher wind speeds and densities are ideal for windfarm construction. Three such projects are under construction in the area:

• Xcel Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) $769 million Hale Wind Project near Plainview, which is expected to generate 478 MW from 216 turbines; see project report
• Lincoln Clean Energy LLC's (Chicago, Illinois) $495 million Tahoka Windfarm in Tahoka, which is expected to generate 300 MW from 120 turbines; see project report
• Macquarie Infrastructure Company's (NYSE:MIC) (New York, New York) $400 million Canadian Breaks Windfarm in Wildorado, which is expected to generate 200 MW from 87 turbines; see project report

South of the Panhandle, Invenergy LLC (Chicago) is at work on the $690 million Santa Rita Wind Energy Center in Big Lake, which is expected to generate 300 MW from 120 turbines. Invenergy wrapped up construction financing for the project one year ago, and Merck & Company Incorporated (NYSE:MRK) (Kenilwork, New Jersey) signed a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Invenergy earlier this year to buy energy from Santa Rita. Merck wants more than 50% of its purchased electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and 100% by 2040. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Along the Gulf Coast, two projects are under construction: NextEra Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) $605 million Torrecillas Wind Energy Center in Freer and E.ON Climate & Renewables North America LLC's (Austin, Texas) $356 million Patriot Windfarm in Petronila. The Torrecillas facility, which will generate 302 MW from 120 turbines, is set to wrap up in second-quarter 2019; the Patriot facility, which will generate 178 MW from 58 turbines, is set to be finished at the end of this year. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Torrecillas and Patriot projects.

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/.