Walmart has agreed to purchase approximately 80% of the output generated by Akuo Energy USA's 50 MW Rocksprings Wind Farm, located near Del Rio, Texas.
According to Chicago-based Akuo Energy USA, a subsidiary of Paris-based independent power producer Akuo Energy, the wind farm will be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2016.
The Rocksprings Wind Farm is part of Akuo Energy's portfolio of wind energy development projects totaling more than 1 GW in the U.S. The company notes that it is also in the process of developing and launching a solar energy platform.
As of December 2014, Akuo Energy had invested $2 billion for a total capacity of 863 MW in operation, under construction or with financing under way. In addition to the U.S., the company has interests in Uruguay, Croatia, Poland, Turkey, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
For its part, the power purchase agreement extends Walmart's renewable energy ambitions. Last year, the retailer agreed to buy the output generated by Pattern Energy's 200 MW Logan's Gap wind farm, located in Comanche County, Texas. That news followed Walmart's March 2013 announcement of its goal to eventually obtain 100% of its electricity from wind and solar.
