Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of utility Duke Energy, plans to build, own and operate the 200 MW Mesteño Wind Project in Starr County, Texas.
The wind farm’s output will be sold into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. Duke Energy Renewables will enter into a long-term hedge agreement covering the majority of the expected wind energy production.
The Mesteño Wind Project will be Duke Energy Renewables’ fourth wind generation facility in Starr County, which is located in south Texas. Construction, which has already begun, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Vestas is supplying 56 3.6 MW turbines reaching 590.5 feet high. Amshore US Wind provided development support, and Wanzek Construction is the contractor.
“We’re pleased to expand our tall-tower technology and V136-3.6 MW platform,” says Chris Brown, president of Vestas’ sales and service division in the U.S. and Canada. “The combination of taller towers and V136-3.6 MW technology is perfectly designed to extract the abundant resource at the site and deliver low-cost, reliable energy to the community and customer.”
According to the company, the project has received local support from the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School district, Starr County, Starr County Hospital and South Texas College. The project increases Duke Energy Renewables’ U.S. wind capacity to more than 2.5 GW.
“We’re excited to continue to invest to build and expand renewable energy resources in Texas,” comments Rob Caldwell, president of Duke Energy Renewables. “This project will deliver clean energy for the state and significant economic benefits to the area.”
During peak construction, the wind project will create approximately 200 jobs. It will also deliver more than $16 million in tax revenue over the first 10 years of operation, according to Duke Energy’s estimates.
