Cactus Flats Wind Farm Now Generating Power For GM, General Mills

August 3, 2018

Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co., has announced the operations of the 148 MW Cactus Flats Wind Facility in Concho County, Texas.

The electricity and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the wind farm are being sold under two separate power purchase agreements with General Mills and General Motors. Both companies have the option to keep or sell the RECs.

“Investing in Texas wind energy is key to our goal of meeting or matching 100 percent of our global electricity needs with renewable energy by 2050,” says Rob Threlkeld, General Motors’ global manager for renewable energy. “The 50 MW will meet the electricity needs of 16 of our U.S. facilities, including business offices in Fort Worth and Austin and the Arlington Assembly complex in Texas.”

“As we are seeing an increase in renewable energy adoption in the U.S., we saw an opportunity for our commerce to support and enable the greening of the grid,” adds John Church, General Mills’ executive vice president and chief supply chain officer. “We see the potential for wind energy to have a positive environmental impact. Cactus Flats is one of many initiatives we have underway to get us closer to reaching our climate commitment.”

Cactus Flats comprises 43 wind turbines manufactured by Vestas, which is jointly maintaining and operating the facility with Southern Power. Southern Power is also performing balance-of-plant operations.

Southern Power acquired the facility in July 2017 from Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES) and oversaw all construction activity on-site. RES served as the developer and builder of the project, which created 250 peak construction jobs.

This project aligns with Southern Power’s business strategy of acquiring and developing projects covered by long-term contracts with counterparties with strong credit support, the company notes.

Cactus Flats is Southern Power’s fifth wind project in the state of Texas. The company’s wind portfolio consists of more than 1,600 MW and is a part of its 3,000 MW renewable energy fleet, which consists of 39 solar, wind and biomass facilities in operation or under construction.