Houston-based wind power developer Babcock & Brown, has announced the closing of financing and commencement of construction of its 79.5 MW Majestic Wind Farm near Panhandle, Texas. The project is expected to finish construction and reach full commercial operation before the end of the year, according to the company.
Babcock & Brown plans to construct at least 1,000 MW of wind generation to connect to the new Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) lines into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
‘Babcock & Brown has a long-term commitment to development of the Texas panhandle's world-class wind resources, and we are excited to commence construction of the Majestic Wind Project, which has been under development since 2003,’ says Hunter Armistead, head of Babcock & Brown's North American renewable energy group. ‘The Majestic Project will be followed by Majestic II next year, and then by our 1,000 MW Panhandle Wind Project, once the ERCOT CREZ transmission facilities are in place.’
The Majestic Wind Farm will interconnect into the existing Southwest Power Pool transmission grid to supply power to the Panhandle region, as will a second phase at Majestic, planned for construction next year. Development of the 1,000 MW Panhandle Wind project is ongoing, and construction will be timed to coincide with completion of the ERCOT CREZ transmission lines, according to the company.
SOURCE: Babcock & Brown
